The Unown Saga: Avari's Story
by CellarDoor96
Summary: The Saga isn't over yet. Six years after "The Unown Saga", Mew's daughter Avari sets out to save her mother. But a sinister plot soon unfolds... Pairings are Mew/Jirachi and Froslass/Uxie. Slight blood and violence.
1. Deoxys Two

Chapter 1 – Deoxys Two

I do not own Pokemon or the characters' species, but I own the characters.

**Chapter 1 – Deoxys Two**

_Who am I?_

The creature opened its eyes for the first time. It looked around, and then wondered, _Where am I?_

It was inside of a glass tube, floating in a green liquid. It knew all of the names of these things instinctively, as if it had seen them before. But it had no memory.

Outside of its tube was a long room, with dim lighting and several other glass tubes. The creature thought it could see shapes in them, but its vision was distorted by the liquid.

Then it looked down at itself and asked, _What am I?_

It had two tentacles on each side of its body, and long legs with points at the end rather than feet. In the middle of its chest, something shiny gleamed. It couldn't tell the colors because of the green of the liquid.

Then its head snapped up as another creature entered the room. This newcomer was a human, the creature somehow knew.

Then the human was speaking, and the words came to it clearly despite the glass and liquid. In addition, the creature was able to understand them.

"You are awake, I see," the human said. The creature slowly nodded, then asked a question.

"Who am I?" it asked, somewhat surprised when its words came out not in sound like the human's, but as thoughts.

The human watched the creature through dark brown eyes. "You are a creature grown from a part of another creature. The creature that spawned you is called 'Deoxys', so you are named 'Deoxys Two'."

The creature who was now called "Deoxys Two" was disappointed with its name. _I am destined then to be known by another's name, and not my own._

The human seemed to sense Deoxys Two's disappointment. "You may make a name for yourself. That is your true destiny."

Deoxys Two immediately became alert. "How?"

The human stared at him, then slowly smiled. "By destroying your namesake, you will be the only one of that name."


	2. Avari

Chapter 2 – Avari

**Chapter 2 – Avari**

The noises came from the darkness, following me as I flew aimlessly. The skittering noises, like many tiny feet. Occasionally, a gleam of light from the shadows, reflected from a gemstone.

My name is Avari. My mother is called Mew, and my father is called Deoxys. I look like my mother, but I'm told that I inherited my father's personality. My story begins when I was about five years old.

I was currently flying through a cave, attempting to escape from a horde of Sableye I had accidentally disturbed. They followed me, appearing from the shadows to grab at me.

I thought I saw light ahead, finally. Could it be the way out?

Then a dark shape jumped on me from behind.

I screamed, falling to the cave floor. The Sableye sniggered and skittered away. I lifted myself up off the floor, and then saw the ring of gemstones floating in the air around me, forming a circle. I was trapped.

"Go away!" I shouted telepathically. My eyes glowed, attempting to scare them away, though I had already figured out that I couldn't hurt them.

It didn't work. None of them moved. Instead, they simply stared at me through their gemstone eyes. Then several began to snicker in their own evil way, closing in on me.

I began to lift up into the air, and I saw several tense as they prepared to jump at me like the other one. I knew I wouldn't be able to escape that way.

But I tried anyway, and they jumped at me, pulling me back to the ground and swarming over me, screeching. I struggled furiously, but they simply phased out of their solid state long enough to avoid injury, then became solid again to hold me down.

I felt like crying. How had I ended up here, anyway? I barely remembered.

I closed my eyes tightly, so at least they couldn't suck out my soul by staring at me in the eyes. They would have to try harder than that to kill me,

Then I felt myself being dragged across the rocky floor of the cave. Where were they taking me? I continued struggling, but there were too many of them, and although I almost broke free a few times, that didn't help me.

Eventually I stopped moving, and the Sableye all let go of me. I opened my eyes and realized that I was inside of a small metal cage that had, undoubtedly, been tossed out by a human and scavenged by the little demons. The door was closing quickly, and I attempted to flee through it before I was locked in, but instead I hit my head on the metal bars.

"Ow," I moaned, rubbing my aching head. The Sableye all snickered and danced around the cage, apparently delighted with their catch.

My eyes glowed again, and a purple aura surrounded the cage. The Sableye all stopped and watched, heads cocked in curiosity. The cage began to rattle.

I struggled to break the cage open with my psychic powers. But I was worn out from my flight and subsequent capture, and eventually the purple light faded away, and I dropped to the floor of my new prison, exhausted. The Sableye sniggered and resumed their victory dance.

I closed my eyes again. I didn't know what they were planning, but I knew I wouldn't like it. After a few moments, I fell asleep.

.

I emerged from the darkness of my sleep. I opened my eyes, saw the twin gemstones right in my face, and closed them again quickly. The Sableye sniggered and jumped away.

Then I realized that he had jumped. I opened my eyes, and saw where I was.

I was still in the cage, but that cage was suspended over a drop of roughly thirty feet in the cave floor. I looked up, and saw that the cage was hanging by a thin wire from a protrusion in the rock ceiling. The gloominess of the cave still surrounded me, and on a nearby ledge I saw many lights, reflected off of dozens of gemstones.

I paled. They were going to drop me! A drop of that distance would kill me for sure.

One of them leapt onto my cage from the ledge, and I covered my eyes as my prison swayed dangerously. Then the Sableye skittered up the wire nimbly until it reached the top. I uncovered my eyes and looked up fearfully.

The little demon brandished one sharp claw, making sure I saw it. It snickered evilly as my eyes widened. It slowly moved its claw to the knot that held the wire to the ceiling.

I felt tears come to my eyes. Was this how I was going to go, barely five years old and smashed into the floor of a cave by a bunch of Sableye?

The Sableye, for their part, all snickered. Then I heard a noise like shredding cloth.

The next second my stomach lurched as my prison began to fall. I blinked away my tears and looked around desperately, for _anything_ that might save me. But the rock walls were far out of my reach.

I glanced downward and saw the unforgiving rock floor approaching quickly. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact.


	3. Kaden

Chapter 3 – Kaden

**Chapter 3 – Kaden**

I never felt the impact. Suddenly my descent slowed, and I heard a voice say in my mind, "Avari, you get yourself into the strangest of situations."

I opened my eyes. "Kaden!"

Kaden was my friend. He was a white bird-like and dragon-like creature, with blue feathers and red markings on certain spots. His mother was Latias, and Rayquaza was his father. He was a year younger than me.

He smiled at me. "I saved your bacon again, huh?"

I was so relieved that I didn't even get mad at him for that remark. "Thank you so much! I thought I was dead…"

He glanced at me, and then at the floor, which he was hovering a few feet above, holding my cage. "You almost were."

I paled upon realizing exactly how close to death I had come. Then he said, sounding slightly strained, "I need to put this down now. You're heavy, what have you been eating?"

"You know it's the cage that's heavy, not me," I replied, getting over my shock slightly. He rolled his eyes and began descending slowly towards the floor.

"Yeah, right. That's what you said that one time with the peaches." He gently placed the cage on the floor, then stopped to recover his breath. I began looking for a way out of it.

"I was right then, too. How do the humans work these things, and how did those Sableye figure it out?" I asked rhetorically. Kaden shrugged.

"I don't know any more than you do. Maybe you pull that thing?" He pointed to a small protrusion from one of the bars. "Or push it. I dunno."

I tried to reach it, but it was on the outside and my arms weren't long enough to reach it. "I can't reach it, can you try?"

He nodded, but then he froze. I froze too, for we had both heard a noise from above us. We looked upwards and saw several Sableye skittering down the cave walls toward us, like overgrown spiders.

"I guess they got tired of waiting for the crash," Kaden said apprehensively. I continued staring as they climbed downwards.

"Get me out. Now." Kaden nodded, and we both began frantically working on trying to break me out of my prison. The entire time, the Sableye got closer.

Then Kaden exclaimed, "Got it!" The door to my cage fell open with a clang. The Sableye sped up.

I flew out of my cage. "Let's get out of here. Do you know the way?"

Kaden looked around, then shrugged and said apologetically, "Sorry, I lost my way."

I would have become angry, but by then the Sableye were too close and I was scared out of my wits. "Okay, let's just get away from here!"

We looked around, and I spied a small hole in the cavern wall. Kaden saw it, too. We sped through it and emerged into a tunnel. I heard the Sableye screech in anger as they pursued us.

We flew through the various tunnels until I lost track of the time. At some point, Kaden suddenly shouted in telepathy, "I recognize this place now!"

We stopped, and he looked around. I looked around, too, not because I was looking for a way out, but because I was afraid of being ambushed by Sableye.

Then Kaden pointed in a direction. "That way, I think."

I nodded, and we flew off in that direction.

Almost immediately, I saw a bright light ahead. We sped up, encouraged. Then I saw the flash of gemstone eyes in the corner of my vision, and I paled as I realized that the Sableye had been waiting for us. "Kaden, they—"

A small dark shape studded with gems leapt at Kaden. He saw it soon enough to dodge out of its way, though, and it missed him. Two more jumped at me, but I somersaulted away from them, and they were left grabbing air.

The next second, we emerged from the cave mouth and were blinded by the sunlight.


	4. Iron Island

Chapter 4 – Iron Island

**Chapter 4 – Iron Island**

Once we were outside of the cave and safe from the sunlight-fearing Sableye, I turned to Kaden. "What are you doing here?"

He glanced at me and shrugged. "I decided to come after you and see if I could help you out. And also to tell you to hurry."

I remembered why I was there. "Is it that bad?"

Kaden nodded sorrowfully. "Yeah, she won't wake up, and she thrashes around a lot. Your dad's worried about you, too. He or one of my parents would have come after you, but he's too busy taking care of your mom and my parents are taking care of my sister."

It had been a week since my mother had been attacked by Darkrai in her sleep, and I had gone a few days later, on my own, to find Cresselia. "Is she eating or drinking?"

Kaden nodded. "She'll live, she just won't wake up."

I felt somewhat relieved. "Okay then, we have some time."

Kaden looked around. "I think you're on the wrong island."

I glanced at him wryly. "Really?"

"I think this is Iron Island," he continued, not catching my sarcasm. "Fullmoon Island is more to the northwest."

I sighed. "I barely made it here, and I'm exhausted now. I would spend the night here, but then there are the Sableye." I shuddered.

Kaden nodded in agreement. "The sun is starting to go down. Is there a place here that's safe from Sableye?"

We looked around the island for a bit, and eventually discovered a small cabin just south of where we had come out.

I peered into a window through the blinds. "Is anyone living here?"

Kaden looked through another window, then shook his head. "It doesn't look like it."

"We might be able to stay here," I said. "We should be safe."

We agreed to try to stay in the cabin for the night, but then encountered a problem. "It's locked," Kaden announced disappointedly, trying to open the door.

I glanced at the door handle. "Got a key?"

Kaden shook his head and floated back, examining the cabin. "We'll have to find another way in. And quickly," he added, glancing at the sky, which was beginning to turn orange.

For several minutes, we searched for an alternate entrance to the cabin. The sky grew steadily darker, and I could have sworn that a few times, I heard skittering noises from underground. Soon, though, we discovered the chimney.

"It's wide enough for me," I observed, staring down it. Then I glanced back at Kaden and studied him. "But you might be a tight fit."

Kaden shrugged. "You go first, I'll come down afterwards. That way, if I get stuck, you'll at least be down there first and I can spend the night in the chimney." He smiled slightly. I nodded and floated down the chimney without a problem.

I emerged into a small room with white walls and all the essentials of a human dwelling. There were no personal items that could give a clue as to who lived there, which gave me the impression that it was a sort of lodging house, where anyone could stay. There was one bed in the corner.

Then I turned as I heard a scraping noise from inside the chimney. I floated back into the fireplace and looked up, seeing Kaden's face. He was barely fitting, but he was able to wriggle downwards with some effort.

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Then he started to continue wriggling downward again, only to find that he couldn't move. He struggled for a few moments, then finally stopped, breathing hard.

I began to laugh. He glared at me. "You could at least help me."

I stopped laughing with an effort and floated up to him. He reached out his arms to me, and I grabbed them and pulled as hard as I could.

Kaden slipped downward an inch. I pulled again, and with a combination of me pulling and him wriggling a little, we eventually made our way to the bottom of the chimney.

"Almost there," he said, breathing heavily. I nodded, took a deep breath, and pulled on his arms again.

Kaden came shooting out, crashing into me and sending us both to the floor.

We were both stunned by the impact for a moment, and then he crawled off me. He collapsed next to me, then looked at me and said, "Thanks."

I nodded tiredly. "You're welcome."

Soon afterwards, the sun went down. We both curled up on top of the bed and went to sleep.


	5. Ambush

Chapter 5 – Ambush

**Chapter 5 – Ambush**

I woke up and opened my eyes slowly. It was still nighttime. Kaden was next to me. I lifted my head and looked around groggily, wondering why I had woken up.

Then I saw something shiny gleam at me from the gloom of the cabin. I blinked and tried to focus on it. It was on the far side of the room, and I couldn't identify it. It could just be something shiny left in the cabin, lots of things here were shiny. But it bothered me, nevertheless.

I decided to investigate and not wake Kaden, because I would feel stupid if I did and it turned out to be nothing. I slowly floated off the bed and towards the shiny object.

Then a black shape knocked me out of the air. I screamed telepathically, and Kaden awoke.

He shot awake, looked around confusedly, and saw the small shadows that were holding me down. His eyes widened upon seeing the gemstone eyes in the shadows and shot toward me.

I struggled against the Sableye, but like before, I failed to even hurt them. They chittered excitedly as Kaden approached them quickly. Then he was hit by a black beam and knocked to the ground.

More Sableye immediately swarmed over him, holding him down like me. We struggled futilely for a while, before finally giving up. We lay on the ground, breathing heavily and surrounded by little purple imps.

"Close your eyes," I told Kaden before doing so myself.

"How did they get in?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied uncertainly. "Maybe through the chimney."

"Why do they hate us so much?" Kaden inquired rhetorically.

I answered anyway. "I think I might have woken them up."

He groaned. "Good job, now they're going to kill us."

I opened one eye slightly and looked around. The Sableye were still there, staring at us through their gemstone eyes. I couldn't read their expressions, obviously, but they weren't moving.

I closed my eye again. "They're not moving."

After a few seconds, I heard Kaden's reply. "You're right. What are they going to do with us?"

"I don't know."

I opened my eyes and, in a last ditch attempt, started to float into the air. The Sableye immediately began screeching and dragged me back to the floor.

"Now what?" I asked rhetorically.

"I guess we wait for them to think of a horrible death for us," came the reply.

Then there was a loud banging noise, and I suddenly smelled smoke. I opened one eye fearfully.

The door to the cabin was open. A trail of smoke blew in through it and filled the room. After a few seconds, it coalesced into a large shadowy blob with short arms and legs and two large red eyes. A Gengar, I identified.

"It's a Gengar," I told Kaden. He opened one eye and glanced at the shadowy creature slowly approaching us.

"It must be their leader or something," he observed. I nodded slightly, and immediately wished I hadn't when all of the Sableye turned towards me.

The Gengar approached me and stood directly in front of me, looming effectively, since I was on the floor. I looked up at its face and saw that it was holding a small black blob in one hand.

It leaned down toward me and spoke into my mind, in a dark and decidedly evil tone. "I know that you possess the powers of the mind… though my companions are immune, I am not… but before you could harm me you would be dead…" It showed the black blob to me. "This is my weapon, of the power of death… do not attempt to escape…"

I gulped nervously. "What do you want?"

It opened its mouth, exposing many sharp teeth, and grinned evilly. "You must become one of us… look into the gems…" It motioned at the Sableye who were standing in a semicircle around us. They chittered excitedly.

I suddenly realized what it wanted. The Sableye were Pokemon or people who had looked into another Sableye's eyes and had their souls sucked out. That's what it wanted me to do.

I looked back up at the Gengar, and my eyes glowed. A purple aura surrounded it. It grinned and threw its black ball at me before I had time to react.

The ball hit me and sent me flying, making me lose control of my psychic attack. I suddenly felt weak, as my strength was drained, and I crashed into the side of the bed, which wasn't as soft as the top. I cried out in pain as I bounced off and landed on the floor.

My vision began to fade, and through the haze of blackness I saw Kaden cry out my name and lift off the ground toward me, only to be immediately tackled by a dozen Sableye. Then I became unaware of anything.


	6. Family Friend

Chapter 6 – Family Friend

**Chapter 6 – Family Friend**

"Avari!" Kaden cried, seeing his friend fall to the ground limply. He floated off the ground and began to approach her, concerned.

Then he was dragged back to the ground by the Sableye, who piled on top of him and held him there. "Get off me!" he shouted angrily, struggling to move.

The Gengar then was standing in front of him. "Will you accept my offer…?"

Kaden shook his head furiously. "Never!"

Gengar's grin widened. "Then I will exterminate you as well…" It raised one hand, which was covered in a black aura. Kaden began struggling harder, but the Sableye held him in place, chittering angrily at him.

Gengar swept its claw downward at Kaden. He closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over.

Then a loud, feminine telepathic voice said, "Get away from them!"

Kaden opened his eyes in confusion and saw a green fairy-like creature enter the room, eyes glowing. Gengar was suspended in the air by a purple aura. After a moment, it was sent flying into the wall and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Sableye chittered in fear and fled through the door. Then it was closed by the green fairy. Kaden looked up at her, then rose off the floor.

"Celebi, what are you doing here?"

Celebi glared at him. "I came after you and Avari, that's what I'm doing here. Your parents are worried."

Kaden backed up slightly. "I just came to help her…"

Then Avari shifted.

.

I regained consciousness, to a pounding headache.

"Ow, I can't keep doing this," I moaned, rubbing my head to attempt to alleviate the pain. Then I opened my eyes and gazed around blearily.

"Are you alright?" Celebi asked.

"No," I replied, wincing. Then I shot awake. "Celebi! Why are you here!"

Celebi sighed. "I came to find you."

I laid my head back on the floor, wincing while doing so. "I can't go back yet, I need to find Fullmoon Island…"

Kaden watched in concern. "Do you need help…?"

"No… I think I'll be fine."

"I know you want to help your mother," Celebi began, "but no one's heard from Cresselia in months. She might not be there."

I glanced up at her. "I'll find her, then."

Celebi sighed. "I'm not going to be able to persuade you two to come back, am I?"

Kaden shook his head. I decided not to risk replicating that action. "No."

Celebi was silent for a moment, then she said, "All right, but I'm going to go back and tell your parents where you are and where you're going."

"Okay. Thanks."

Celebi nodded, opened the door, and flew out of the cabin.

Once she was gone, I closed my eyes and went limp. I heard Kaden ask, "You're not doing very well, are you." It wasn't a question, but an observation.

"No," I conceded. "I didn't want to make anyone worry too much."

I opened one eye and flinched slightly at the pain the action brought. Kaden floated in front of me, looking concerned. "You shouldn't do that."

I lifted my head off the floor, winced, and got to a sitting position. I rubbed my head some more at the pain shooting through it. "I don't think we'll be safe here anymore."

Kaden nodded worriedly, then glanced out the window and brightened. "The sky's turning orange now. The Sableye won't come out in the daytime."

I glanced at the window without moving my head, saw a little orange through the blinds, and then leaned back against the side of the bed, relieved. Once my head contacted it, though, I immediately felt a pain like someone was stabbing me in my forehead.

"Aargh!" I screamed, instinctively removing my head from it and falling forward. I then hit my head on the floor, like the complete idiot I appeared to be, and began writhing in agony.

Kaden looked alarmed. "Avari! What's wrong?!"

I stopped writhing, and the pain subsided to a dull ache. "Ow, my head."

Kaden looked around the room, then back at me. "Try not to move it."

"Okay. Ow."

He gently picked me up, floated upwards, and then just as carefully deposited me on the bed. I tried to act like I wasn't in pain while he did this. "Try to sleep," he told me.

I followed his advice.


	7. Salt Water

Chapter 7 – Salt Water

**Chapter 7 – Salt Water**

A shadowy figure waited in a dark room. The room was pinpricked by small glowing lights, but that didn't keep the two larger red ones near the top of the figure from standing out.

Then, another figure emerged from the shadows. It had larger red eyes, two short arms and two short legs, and was shorter than the other figure. It bowed, then spoke faintly in an eerie, sinister voice.

"Master, I have attempted to carry out your commands…"

The other figure didn't move. "Do you report success or failure?"

"I and my Sableye have tried twice to destroy the young Mew… yet we failed…"

The red eyes flashed. "Why did you fail?"

"We had almost accomplished it when… others arrived to save it…"

The eyes didn't move this time. "What others?"

"First a Latios… then Celebi arrived…"

"Why did it take long enough for them to arrive? Why did you wait to destroy it?"

"Master, my Sableye require… entertainment…"

The eyes flashed again. "I commanded you to destroy the young Mew, yet you failed because you felt you needed to provide entertainment to your underlings?"

"That is correct… my apologies, master…"

"Get out of my sight. I will find someone else who can do this job better."

The shorter figure bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

.

By around noon, my headache had for the most part abated, though my head still ached slightly and if I made any sudden movements or applied too much pressure, then it would set off the pain again. In any case, not wanting to still be here when night fell, we set off toward what Kaden supposed was the northeast. Neither of us really knew which way was which, but we used the positions of the sun to try to work it out.

Of course, this meant that we would have to travel across the ocean. I was not particularly relishing this part, but I was even more afraid of staying on Iron Island one more night. At least we had a better chance against the ocean than against Sableye.

After a few minutes of flying across the ocean, Kaden asked me, "Do you think Celebi's right, and Cresselia might not be there?"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye while trying to concentrate on staying above the water. "We just have to hope she's there."

After a few more minutes, he tried again. "Why did Darkrai want to give your mom the nightmares?"

I sighed. "I'm not really sure, but I think it could have something to do with what they used to tell me about that fiasco that happened six years ago."

Kaden nodded. "Yeah, my parents would tell me about that, too. Or at least my mom."

"What about your father?"

He glanced at me, and I detected slight sadness in his voice. "He's always off doing whatever it is he does up there in the sky."

I nodded sadly. "My mom was always running errands for someone-or-other. At least, until Darkrai…"

Kaden apparently sensed that a change in subject was appropriate here, because he then asked, "What did they tell you about what happened six years ago?"

I remembered the stories. "Well, some evil people were trying to use Palkia and Dialga and Giratina to take over the world. But before anyone knew about that… My mom was supposed to be carrying messages for someone, but she forgot to come back or something like that, and Darkrai was hired to punish her with nightmares. Only, Cresselia saved her then."

Kaden nodded. "I heard about some of that stuff from my parents, too. Like the part about the people taking over the world. Although, they told me a little about something bigger that happened after that… Something about the world ending."

I tried to remember. "I think they mentioned something that happened afterwards, but they never really told me about it. They said that that was the reason they got married."

"Mine never told me more than what I just told you. But they did say that it was after the whole mess was cleaned up that they decided to get married."

I nodded thoughtfully. "In any case, if Cresselia saved my mom before, why isn't she now?"

Kaden shrugged. "Maybe she's busy."

I glanced at him, then shrugged likewise. "Maybe." But I wasn't sure.

A couple of seconds later, I realized that he wasn't beside me anymore.

I immediately stopped and turned. He was nowhere in sight. I began to move back the way we had come, looking around for him.

Then I saw a blue pointy object stick out of the water for a moment, then go back under. I paled. It was Kaden!

"Kaden! What's wrong?!" I floated to the spot where his wing had come out and peered into the water. I could see nothing through the green, salty murkiness. I took a breath and prepared to dive.

It turns out that it was a good thing I took that breath then. If I hadn't done so, I would be dead now. This was because the next second, I was grabbed by a long orange tentacle with yellow suckers and pulled under.

I almost cried out in surprise. Almost, but before I could do so I remembered that I was underwater. The tentacle wrapped around me, trying to squeeze the breath out of me. I couldn't see anything through the bubbles my submergence had caused.

I struggled against the tentacle for a while, but it was stronger than me. I activated my psychic attack, and my eyes glowed, causing the tentacle to be surrounded with a purple aura. Then I was hit by a flashing multicolored beam that was cold enough to stun me and make me lose my concentration.

I then saw my attacker as the bubbles cleared. It was an Octillery, with large white eyes in a bulbous orange head and eight tentacles attached to it. A snout with a mouth at the end protruded from its face and pointed at me. One tentacle was wrapped around me, and another was wrapped around the limp form of—

"Kaden!" I cried telepathically. He didn't move. I knew that I needed to get us both out of the water before he or I drowned, but that wouldn't be easy.

A light shone from the Octillery's open mouth. My eyes glowed again, and the Octillery was again enveloped in the purple aura. But before I could gain full control of it with my psychic attack, a beam of light shot from its snout and toward me.

The beam collided with me, making my body explode with pain and causing me to open my mouth, losing my breath. I instinctively took another breath, but instead I breathed in water. I began flailing desperately, trying to reach air while attempting to keep from inhaling more water, and also coughing at the same time.

The Octillery squeezed me harder, trying to crush me. Another light began to shine from inside its mouth. I was already panicking, but this caused me to increase my efforts to break free, as I knew that if it hit me again I would be dead.

I tried one last ditch effort. One of my fingers began glowing, and I moved it back and forth once. Then I felt something click in my brain, and I could only hope that whatever happened would help me and not cause me to end up dead.

The next second, I caught on fire.

The flames were immediately put out by the water, but they also caused the water around me to become superheated, burning both me and the Octillery. The Octillery's light faded as it flinched and released me and Kaden. I, on the other hand, was writhing in pain in the water.

My vision began to fade. I started to lose consciousness from lack of oxygen. I could do nothing as I sank deeper into the water, thrashing in agony. Through a black and red fog in my eyes, I saw a dark shape moving toward me. Then I saw nothing but black.


	8. Queen of the Sea

Chapter 8 – Queen of the Sea

**Chapter 8 – Queen of the Sea**

I suddenly was jolted from my unawareness as I felt air around me instead of water. I immediately tried to breathe, choked on the water I had already inhaled, and ended up coughing up about a gallon of seawater. Then I took a breath and looked around me.

I was on top of a large, blue, rubbery… something, which was floating in the water. I spotted Kaden lying a few feet away from me, and I dragged myself closer to him to check if he was breathing.

Suddenly he shifted and opened his eyes, spewing out saltwater onto the surface we were lying on and then gasping for breath. After doing this, he closed his eyes again wearily.

"Where are we?" he asked me in my mind. "What happened?"

I collapsed back onto the rubbery surface tiredly. "It was an Octillery," I told him. "I don't know where we are, though."

"What is this?" Kaden inquired.

"What is what?"

"Whatever we're on top of." We were both too exhausted to move, so I understood why he didn't point to it or something.

"I don't know. It could be a Wailord…"

"No, Wailord are bigger."

Suddenly my tired mind finally got working enough to allow me to remember something. "My parents said that they were helped by a big blue sea creature. This could be the same thing."

"What's it called?"

I tried to remember that, but gave up when my head started hurting. "I don't remember."

Then Kaden opened one eye and glanced at me. Suddenly his other eye opened and they both widened. "Avari! What happened to you?"

"What?"

"You're red all over!"

I was too tired to look. "I am?"

"Yes! What happened?"

I remembered. "I used Metronome, and, well, caught on fire."

His eyes widened even more. "What?!"

"To get away from the Octillery…"

"You burned yourself?!"

"Yes, but do you think I can control what happens?"

"No, but that's why you shouldn't do that!"

I closed my eyes, my weariness finally catching up to me. "Too late now…"

Then I fell asleep.

.

I was in a dark hallway. Looking down it, I saw lots of strange machines, with glowing lights. There were some tanks filled with green fluid. Curious, I went down the hall until I reached the first glass tank.

I looked into it. Inside was… my father!

"Father! What are you doing here?"

He opened his eyes and stared at me. Then the glass tank broke, and he came out of it, floating toward me.

I looked around, and discovered that I was surrounded by multiple copies of my father. "Which one of you is the real one?" I asked.

They formed a circle around me and began to spin around me, the circle growing tighter and tighter. I became afraid.

Then I saw another one of my father, standing outside the circle and reaching out to me. "Avari!" he called. I reached out to him, only to be blocked by the others. Another one reached to me.

"I am your father, Avari."

I then turned as another one spoke. "Don't believe him! I am!"

A third said, "Why can you not tell the real me from these fakes?"

I began to cry. "I don't know!"

Then my surroundings disappeared, leaving me in a void of blackness. I stopped crying and looked around.

A figure walked toward me. I couldn't make out any details.

I asked it, "Who are you?"

The figure looked at me, and I saw that it had blue, glowing eyes. "I am the one who comes with the darkness of the moon. Help me, Avari…" The figure slowly faded.

A voice whispered to me, "When three were one, one did come, and from one was none. When all were one, none was all, and one will be one. But when one is none and then is one, one will be all…"

Then I was falling…

.

I awoke suddenly and immediately cried out in pain. My skin felt like it was on fire. I started thrashing in the sand, unable to do anything against it.

"Avari! Stop! It won't help," Kaden said to me. I stopped thrashing with an effort, and instead lay on the sand panting and wincing in pain.

"Ow… It hurts…" I moaned. Kaden looked at me, concerned.

"You burned yourself pretty badly."

I looked at myself. I was covered in red burn marks and sand. "I… couldn't tell..." Then I glanced around, wincing as my skin erupted in pain. "Where are… we?"

Kaden shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe an island or something. That creature that saved us dropped us off here."

I couldn't see anything except ocean and some beach without turning my head, which I didn't want to do. Instead, I simply laid back down on the sand, flinching occasionally (in other words, about every three seconds) at the discomfort in my skin.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Kaden asked.

I thought for a second, then realized that I was thirsty. "Water…"

Kaden glanced back at the ocean, then at me. "You need _more_ water?"

"No… thirsty."

He finally understood. "Oh, okay." Then he flew off, most likely to find water.


	9. Stranded

Chapter 9 – Stranded

**Chapter 9 – Stranded**

Kaden returned after what seemed like an eternity of misery. I looked up at him from where I was now on my stomach. My mouth and throat were by now parched, and I was made uncomfortable by my burns. "Water?" I asked hopefully. Then I saw that he wasn't carrying anything and I realized that he had no way of bringing water to me.

He nodded, though. "I found a pool of water in some trees over that way." He gestured vaguely in a direction with one claw. Then he studied me worriedly and asked, "Do you think you could make it there?"

I didn't move. "No."

Kaden sighed. "Okay, then, I'll have to carry you or something…" He moved toward me. I braced myself, and he lowered down to pick me up.

As soon as he touched me, my skin felt like it was set on fire. I screamed telepathically, then jerked away and began writhing on the sand again. Kaden immediately moved away from me, concerned.

"I'm sorry, I should have known… Are you alright?" He looked around like he didn't know what to do.

I stopped thrashing and settled back onto my stomach, panting and twitching in discomfort. "Ow, ow… Don't do that… Ow."

Kaden shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… But how are we going to get you to the water? We can't wait for you to heal."

"Don't know… Ouch."

Kaden looked thoughtful. "I can't bring the water here… I didn't see anything that could carry it. Maybe…" He flew out of my field of vision.

After a few seconds, I heard a breaking noise, and then the sound of something hard hitting the ground. "What are you… doing?"

Kaden reappeared with a green, round object. He placed it in front of me, and then announced, "Coconut."

Coconuts had water in them. That was good. There was only one problem.

"How to… open it?"

Kaden looked at me, then at the coconut. He picked it up, before turning and starting to float away. I became alarmed.

"Don't take it…" I called, afraid for some reason that he was going to take it away from me. He looked back.

"Don't worry, it's not going far," he reassured. He then placed it back on the ground a few feet away from me.

Kaden faced the coconut, and his eyes began to glow. A purple light surrounded the coconut, before, with a cracking noise, a small break appeared in its hard shell. Soon, Kaden had made a small hole.

He floated back to me and placed the coconut in front of me, before sinking wearily to the ground. I watched him with concern. "What's wrong…?"

He glanced at me and smiled weakly, to try to reassure me. It didn't work. "I've never done something like that before… It just tired me out."

I glanced at the green sphere before me. The hole was at the top. I slowly inched toward it, wincing frequently, until I got my mouth to the hole.

I drank a little, and then stopped. "Do you… want some?" I asked Kaden.

He shook his head slowly. "No, you took in more saltwater than I did."

I pushed it toward him slightly. "You're a liar."

He sighed. "Fine, you're right."

We took turns drinking from the coconut until there was nothing left in it, then ate the white parts inside. Lying back on the sand and feeling somewhat refreshed, I asked, "Did you see anything that could tell us where we are?"

Kaden thought for a few seconds. "Well, we're on an island, and there's a forest… other than that, I don't know. The island is pretty small."

"Okay, then. It could be Fullmoon Island, but I don't know what Fullmoon Island looks like." I flinched as my skin erupted into pain again and then died down.

Kaden looked over at me with worry. "You alright?"

I shifted and winced again. "The burns make me uncomfortable."

He floated to my side and inspected me. "I don't know how to treat burns… The humans have stuff to put on it to heal it, but I don't know what they make it from." He glanced at the ocean, then back at me. "Water might help, but salt would make it worse."

"I'll be fine," I told him unconvincingly. "I just won't be able to sleep very much."

Kaden glanced up at the sky and saw that it was turning orange. "That won't be good for you… but I don't know what to do."

I shifted, wincing at the pain the action brought. "Thank you anyway."

He looked at me again with his red eyes. "You're welcome. I'm just sorry I can't help more."

Soon afterward, the sun sank below the horizon.

.

A dark presence filled the room, one that would fill most with fear. But the red eyes that glared from the shadows didn't move.

One blue eye opened, staring from the gloom at the two red ones. "Yes…?" it asked in a voice that hissed unpleasantly.

"My last two attempts to destroy the young Mew have failed. I want you to do the job."

The blue eye widened slightly, though its owner's tone remained impassive. "Me?"

"Yes. Do not fail."

After a few moments, the dark voice spoke again. "I won't… _sir_." As the last word was spoken, slight anger was detectable. Then the icy blue eye disappeared.


	10. New Moon

Chapter 10 – New Moon

**Chapter 10 – New Moon**

The night was uncomfortable for both me and Kaden. I couldn't sleep, and he took it upon himself to stay awake and watch over me, even though I repeatedly told him to go to sleep.

In the end, though, he eventually dropped off, leaving me alone to fruitlessly attempt to do the same. I passed the time watching the sky, picking out constellations. I couldn't see the moon, so I figured it was behind me.

After a while, I suddenly noticed a dark patch of sky, with no stars. _So that's where the moon is_, I thought. _It's a new moon. But then why didn't I notice it before…?_

That was when a glowing blue object appeared in the blank spot of sky. I stared at it, startled. What was it?

Then it blinked, and I realized. It was an _eye_.

It came closer to me, until I could see its outline clearly in the starlight. It was a black shape, vaguely humanoid, with red and white in some parts…

Then I recognized it from my parents' descriptions, and gasped. "Darkrai!"

Darkrai came closer and floated over me. I slowly and agonizingly (literally) began inching away from it. Then it spoke, in a dark, sinister-sounding voice.

"Yes, I am Darkrai. I am the bringer of darkness and nightmares, exploiter of fears."

"Why did you attack my mother?" I demanded, half angrily and half apprehensively.

"I had… orders. Just as I do now."

"What are your orders now?" I asked, fearing the answer.

The blue eye narrowed. "To kill you."

I gulped. I couldn't put up a resistance in the state I was in now… "W-why?"

Darkrai shrugged. "I don't know. But I have no choice." It raised one claw. "Don't move, and this will be as painless as possible." Yeah, right.

A small pulse of black light was fired from its claw at me. I flipped out of the way, my body screaming in protest. I screamed too, and luckily it woke Kaden up, who was a few feet away from me. His eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head, looking around confusedly. Then he saw Darkrai and me.

"Darkrai!" He lifted off and flew at Darkrai, eyes glowing. Darkrai turned to him.

"Do you think you can interfere?" Then it launched a glowing purple ball at Kaden, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Kaden!" I cried. But he didn't get back up. Darkrai turned back to me.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave here alive." Then it raised its claw again. I prepared to dodge, though I probably wouldn't be able to with my condition.

Several things then happened at once. Another pulse of dark light was shot from Darkrai's claw, and then a stream of fire slammed into Darkrai, knocking it a few feet away from me and making it flinch. I was also left to dodge its attack, diving out of the way, despite the pain that flared up.

Kaden floated over to hover protectively in front of me. "Leave her alone!" he shouted at Darkrai telepathically. Darkrai glared at him.

"Don't you know when to stay down? Move, or I'll kill you, too." It moved toward us slightly.

Kaden shook his head angrily. "No."

Darkrai stared at him, and they made eye contact. They floated there, staring at each other for a moment, and then Kaden began to sink to the ground. I realized what was happening. Hypnosis!

"Wake up, Kaden!" I called. He snapped awake again. Darkrai glared at me.

"Why don't you just _give up_?" Another purple ball flew into Kaden, knocking him backwards, to land behind me. I couldn't see him anymore, but I could see Darkrai all too well.

I concentrated. My eyes glowed, but nothing happened. Darkrai laughed, preparing another attack.

"You can't defeat me." With that, it sent another pulse of dark light at me. I hoped this worked…

Then the pulse hit my invisible Barrier and disappeared. I fell limp with relief. Darkrai watched with mild curiosity.

"A Barrier, then? Hm…" It approached me, reaching ahead until its claw hit my Barrier. I watched with wide eyes as a black haze then spread from it and into the Barrier, showing vaguely its outline.

After a second, Darkrai's eye flashed, and I stiffened as I felt its mind attacking mine. I fought against it, trying to stop it, but slowly its dark presence invaded my mind, searching for something. Then it found what it was looking for, and my Barrier shattered. Seeing this, Darkrai's mind left, causing me to fall limp back to the sand from the effort.

Darkrai snickered evilly as it approached me. I watched it, unable to resist.

"You're not the only one with psychic powers." It bent and reached down toward me. I shut my eyes resignedly, too tired to fight back.

Then I heard Darkrai cry out in surprise, and I opened my eyes to see Darkrai being driven backward by Kaden, who was shooting flames from his mouth at it. The flames stopped, and Darkrai began to form another purple ball.

"You are a very annoying pest." The ball was launched at Kaden. His eyes flashed, and it dissipated once it contacted him.

"Go away!" He breathed more flames at Darkrai, but once they hit it, it disappeared. Kaden stopped, confused.

Then he was struck by another pulse of black light from his left and sent flying. A purple aura surrounded him mid-flight, and he was frozen in the air. Darkrai materialized from the gloom, eye glowing purple.

"Like I said, you are _very_ annoying." With that, Kaden was launched far out into the waves.

"No!" I shouted in horror. Darkrai turned to me.

"You've given me more trouble than most, in fact, the last time someone…" It trailed off thoughtfully. Then it snapped its gaze back to me.

"Anyway, any last words?"

"No," I said defiantly, though I was shaking with fear. Darkrai shrugged.

"Oh well, your loss. I'm just following orders, no hard feelings, right?"

Before I even had a chance to respond, the one blue eye flashed, and I felt its alien presence invading my mind again. I desperately fought back, but all I accomplished was to slow it down. I felt my body begin to slowly go numb, and my senses faded gradually.

I tried one last time. I activated my Metronome attack, and one of my fingers glowed. It moved back and forth once without my control, and again I felt a click in my mind.

"What's this?" I vaguely heard Darkrai mutter. Then I started to glow.

I suddenly felt less tired, and the pain faded. I could feel my body again, and my senses were returned to their normal functionality. In my mind, Darkrai began searching through it, trying, I guessed, to find a way to stop my recovery. I fought against it to allow myself time to be completely recovered.

After a few seconds, the light faded, leaving me feeling much better. Aside from Darkrai's siege on my mind, that is.

Without the pain and weariness to distract me, I was able to fight more effectively against the alien presence. I slowly but surely drove it out of my mind, until Darkrai's eye stopped glowing.

I almost fainted with relief, but then Darkrai glared at me, raising one claw. A black haze gathered around it. "I tried to give you a painless death, but now you leave me no choice except to do it the traditional way."

I floated upward, ready to dodge. The black pulse flew at me from Darkrai's claw, and I moved out of the way. I then attacked, flying forward and whipping my tail into the dark shadow. It recoiled backward slightly, then began forming a purple ball between its claws.

I concentrated, and one arm began glowing white. The next second, the purple ball flew at me, and I dodged it, still concentrating on my arm.

I floated up close to Darkrai, then quickly drew back my glowing arm and punched the shadowy Pokemon as hard as I could. Darkrai cried out and faded away.

My arm stopped glowing, and I blinked. This was too easy. Then I heard Darkrai's voice speak from the air around me.

"Go east to Newmoon Island…"

I looked around warily, but Darkrai didn't reappear. Then I heard a faint splash noise. I glanced down and then realized with shock that I had forgotten Kaden, who was lying on the beach limply.

I floated down to him, worried, and inspected him. He didn't appear to be injured, and he was breathing shallowly.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and glanced at me, then lifted his head and retched seawater onto the sand. Then he turned his head and looked at me wearily.

"Is he gone?"

I nodded.

"Good," Kaden said, before he put his head back down and closed his eyes.


	11. Adham

Chapter 11 – Adham

**Chapter 11 – Adham**

Because of the fortunate effects of my Metronome, my burns were gone and I was able to sleep the rest of the night. I made sure that Kaden was comfortable, then curled up on the sand beside him and fell asleep.

I finally woke up when morning came and opened my eyes, blinking them against the glare of the sunlight. Glancing around tiredly, I saw that it was almost midday, and Kaden was gone. Then I yawned and stretched, arching my back, before sitting down to wait for him to return from wherever he had gone.

I didn't have long to wait. Soon, the blue and white shape of my friend appeared from within the trees. I floated up to greet him as he approached me.

"Where'd you go?" I asked him.

"To get a drink and find food," was his answer. I realized then that I was also hungry and thirsty.

"Where is it?" I inquired. Kaden glanced at me questioningly.

"What, food or water?"

"Both."

He nodded and turned. "Alright, follow me."

He led me into the forest, which was dense but still light enough that we could see everything clearly. I didn't notice any other Pokemon there, if there were any.

After a few minutes, we emerged into a small clearing. It was plain, with grass growing in it, but in the center was a pool of water.

Kaden floated over to the pool and indicated it. "Here. It's freshwater, don't worry." I nodded gratefully and took a drink.

After I had had my fill of water, Kaden showed me where some berries were growing in the forest. We both picked some and ate them quickly, enjoying the sweet taste but mostly because we were starving. After we were done, we exited the forest and settled into the grass on the middle of the island to make plans.

"What happened last night, while I was in the water?" Kaden asked me bluntly.

"I used Metronome again, but this time it healed me, and then I Mega Punched Darkrai and it disappeared."

Kaden looked surprised, but also relieved. "I'm glad you're better now, Avari." He glanced at me and smiled. Then he frowned and continued, "But did your Mega Punch beat him? No offense, but he took three Dragonbreaths from me…"

I shrugged. "Darkrai could have just been weakened by your attacks, and I just finished it off. But I think Darkrai left on its own."

Kaden looked confused. "Why would Darkrai…"

"I don't know, but it acted like it didn't really want to… to kill me." I faltered slightly, remembering my many brushes with death during the encounter. Then I took a deep breath and continued. "And it said something to me when it left."

Kaden glanced at me curiously. "What did it say? More death threats?"

I shook my head. "No, it said to go east to Newmoon Island."

Kaden silently studied the grass as he absorbed this information. Then he looked back up at me. "Newmoon Island is where Darkrai is supposed to live."

"I know."

"It's probably a trap, but… You're sure it said 'east' to Newmoon Island?"

I nodded thoughtfully, realizing where he was leading. "Yes… Newmoon Island is to the east of Fullmoon Island, so that must mean…"

Kaden finished for me. "We're on Fullmoon Island right now!"

I looked around. "But where's Cresselia?"

Kaden glanced around, too, then returned his gaze to me and shrugged. "I didn't see her…"

I thought for a second, then shared my thoughts. "Celebi said that Cresselia—"

I was interrupted by a loud scraping sound from the beach we had spent the night on, and we both glanced in that direction, then stared. On the beach was a small white boat.

"That's a human boat," Kaden observed, and then he took off in its direction. "Let's check it out!"

I caught up to him and grabbed one of his wings with my tail, dragging him to the ground and into some bushes. He struggled for a moment, then stopped and glared at me. "What are you doing?"

I let go of him with my tail. "Sh! We don't know what's on it. You know it's dangerous to let yourself be seen by humans. Let's watch for a moment before we 'check it out'."

Kaden hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."

We both watched the white boat from behind the bushes. It was small, maybe twenty feet long. After a moment, a hatch opened and a human emerged.

The human was a man, who had black hair and white skin, and was wearing a large white coat. I'm not good at guessing humans' ages, but I put his age around twenty years. He was carrying lots of small devices, none of which I could imagine the purpose of.

The man looked around, then jumped down to the beach, a distance of roughly two feet, while still holding all of these devices. He glanced at the sand, then began to walk inland, toward the harder, grassy ground, as well as our hiding place.

As the man drew nearer and nearer to our hiding place, I realized that he might spot us. "We need to move," I told Kaden. Kaden nodded.

We slowly backed away from the bushes, careful not to make any noise, since we weren't sure whether the man was friendly or not. I indicated with my paw a spot a few feet away, and Kaden nodded slightly. We began to silently head for that spot.

Then my tail caught on a protruding root, and I fell to the ground on my stomach, disturbing all of the vegetation around me and causing it to shake noisily. Kaden turned, eyes wide.

"Avari! What—"

A twig snapped, and I looked up. The man was standing a few feet away, looking at us curiously. He was taller than Kaden by about a foot.

I quickly pulled myself to an upright position and floated away from the human slightly. The human watched for a second longer, then spoke.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly. Kaden and I blinked. I turned to glance at Kaden, who shrugged. The man took a step closer, and we moved back.

"Don't be afraid," the human said. "I won't hurt you." Then he glanced around. "This isn't your native habitat, is it?"

I hesitated for a moment longer, then spoke to the human telepathically. "No."

The man looked surprised for a moment, then he mused, "Ah, so you can speak through your mind… That must mean you're a Psychic type…" He took out a book and a pencil and started writing in it. Then he glanced back up at me and suddenly exclaimed, "I know now! You're a Mew!"

Surprised by the sudden outburst, I moved away a little more. "Y-yes…"

The man smiled happily. "I've waited for my entire life to see a Mew! This is an amazing discovery…"

I glanced at Kaden again confusedly, and he shrugged. The human hadn't noticed him yet. Then I turned back to watch the human, who was writing furiously in his book. "Who are you?" I asked.

The man looked up and stopped writing, putting the pencil and book away somewhere in his coat. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I am Adham. I research various Pokemon's natural habitats and behaviors."

I turned my head toward Kaden slightly and saw that he was still concealed. I spoke to him privately. "What do you think?"

He stared at Adham for a moment, and then looked at me. "He's already seen you and not done anything bad, so I don't think he's harmful." Kaden floated over next to me, as Adham looked on with shock.

"A Latios, too! This is truly an amazing day." He pulled out his book and pencil again. Then he stopped and looked at Kaden. "Can you talk, too?"

Kaden nodded hesitantly. "Yes…"

Adham beamed. "Extraordinary!" He then began to write in his book.

I decided to introduce us; the human had, after all, given his name. "I'm Avari, and this is Kaden."

Adham looked up at us. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Then he closed his book and frowned. "Why are you here?"

The question caught me off guard. "What do you mean?"

"This is not the normal habitat for Mew or Latios, at least, not according to the various sightings… This island is said to be where Cresselia lives. I came here to see if I could study Cresselia, but maybe…"

Kaden interrupted. "It's a long story."

Adham turned his gaze to my friend. "Please tell."

So we told our story to Adham, who listened intently, occasionally scribbling something into his book. When we were done, he nodded thoughtfully. "That's quite a story. You say you came here to find Cresselia…"

I nodded. "But Cresselia isn't here."

Adham stared into space as if remembering. "Cresselia has not been sighted for fifty years. The last time it was sighted… the witness also described another Pokemon, one that fits your description of Darkrai. No one knew what Darkrai looked like, so it was written off as a hoax."

I thought for a second. "Could you take us to Newmoon Island?"

Adham snapped his attention back to us. "Yes, I could."


	12. Newmoon Island

Chapter 12 – Newmoon Island

**Chapter 12 – Newmoon Island**

We got into Adham's boat, and took off from the beach. It turns out that the spot where we had washed up and Adham had arrived was on the southern part of the island, so we had to follow the shoreline to the eastern part before heading straight toward Newmoon Island.

The inside of the boat was filled with machines and various equipment. When Kaden asked about the uses of some of them, Adham simply replied that it would take too long to explain.

On the way, Adham showed us his Pokemon, Ditto. It looked like a pink blob with a face, and it could turn into a copy of almost anything.

It looked at me and made a noise, then flashed and changed into a copy of me. For a moment we stared at each other, then the Ditto (that looked like me) giggled and spoke into my mind.

"What's wrong, not used to looking at yourself?" Its telepathic voice sounded exactly the same as mine. I shook my head.

"It _is_ a bit weird," Kaden put in. Ditto glanced at him, then flashed and changed into a copy of him.

Now looking like Kaden, Ditto laughed. "Is this weird, too?" Its "voice" was now the same as Kaden's. Kaden and I both nodded.

"You'll get used to it," Adham told us, smiling from the controls for the boat. Then Ditto looked back at me and flashed again, changing into another copy of me. It laughed and spun in the air.

"I like this form better," it said. Kaden looked indignant.

"Hey, what's wrong with me?"

Ditto floated over to him and did a cartwheel in front of him. "Your body is too big. I like to be smaller, more agile things, although Steelix are cool."

"Why Steelix?" I asked. Ditto stopped and hovered in front of us.

"Well, there's a story behind that…"

.

By the time we arrived at Newmoon Island half an hour later, Kaden and I had both heard Ditto's account of a Steelix attack on a certain mine, and been thoroughly confused and unsettled by the fact that it used my appearance and voice. In any case, we soon hit the beach with a scraping noise of boat against sand, and opened the door to look out at our surroundings.

Though it was daytime, the island had a decidedly creepy feeling around it. The terrain was mostly rocky, with hard, cracked ground. A forest grew on the side of the island where we landed, but the trees were all twisted and bent like they were diseased. We could see nothing between the trees.

Kaden and I floated out of the boat and turned to thank Adham. He nodded, smiling, and waved before disappearing back into his boat. Ditto then appeared, waved, and changed back into its regular form before also going back inside. A moment later, the door closed and Adham departed back westward in his boat, leaving a mark on the beach.

As soon as the boat was a good distance away, I turned to Kaden, who was glancing around the island uneasily.

"What do you think we'll find?"

Kaden glanced back at me and shrugged. "I dunno, it could be a trap."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Or, there could be something useful here. In any case, be ready."

Kaden nodded in agreement, and we started toward the forest.

Once we entered the forest, we were plunged into darkness. I stopped and called to Kaden. "Kaden, where are you?"

I heard his voice in my mind, coming from beside me. "I'm here."

I closed my eyes experimentally, and then opened them again. It made no difference. "I can't see anything."

"I can't either. We should just keep going straight, and eventually we'll get somewhere."

Panic began to rise up within me. "But what if we're separated, or lost, or one of us gets hurt… We'll never be able to get out. We'll be stuck here forever! And what if there's something there, and we don't see it, and it's waiting for us…"

I felt something touch me on the shoulder, and I screamed, jerking away and hitting a tree before falling onto the ground. Then I heard Kaden's voice in my head again, saying, "Don't worry, it's just me!"

I calmed my breathing. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry. I think we'll be fine. After all, if we go straight, we'll eventually reach the edge. And we should hold on to each other, so we don't get separated."

I glanced around, seeing that my eyes were starting to adjust and spotting vague shapes. "Okay."

Kaden grabbed my paw, and I lifted off the ground. Feeling calmer, we began to move forward into the woods.

Then my heart stopped momentarily as I heard Kaden ask from behind, "Avari, where are you?"

I turned slowly to look at the vague shape beside me. There was definitely something there, but it didn't look like Kaden…

Two large glowing white eyes opened, staring right at me. A huge red mouth appeared below them, and I froze with fear.

Then the hand that was gripping mine tightened, pulling me closer to the eyes and mouth. I screamed and began pulling away, but was held in place by the strong, huge hand. The mouth opened, dispensing a long red tongue that slowly wormed its way toward me. My brain locked up.

Then a purple glow surrounded the shape beside me momentarily, and it faded away, leaving behind a smell of smoke. I sank to the hard ground with wide eyes, still shocked.

"Are you okay?" Kaden's telepathic voice asked from beside me. I slowly nodded, still in shock. After a moment, Kaden spoke again.

"Are you alright, Avari?" Then I snapped out of my dazed state as I realized that he couldn't see me.

"Y-yes…" I responded, trembling with fear over the sudden shock.

"Are you sure?" Kaden asked, concerned.

I shivered involuntarily, and regulated my breathing. "Yes. Thanks."

I felt a claw grab my paw. "You're welcome."

I looked down suspiciously at the claw that was holding my paw, and saw from its faint outline that it indeed belonged to Kaden. Then I took a deep breath and shakily floated back into the air. I felt Kaden rise with me.

"Let's go," I said, trying to sound brave. We started forward once again.


	13. Lunar Wing

Chapter 13 – Lunar Wing

**Chapter 13 – Lunar Wing**

My heart was beating crazily during the entire journey through the forest, which really was only a few minutes but felt like hours. I didn't like not being able to see, and to make it worse, my mind started playing tricks on me. I couldn't see well enough to make out anything but vague shapes, but I kept thinking I saw things in the trees. Once, I thought I saw a human skull, and another time, I saw what looked like a gnarled hand, reaching toward me. On both occasions, I realized momentarily that it was just a tree in an odd position, but that didn't help my fear any.

Soon, I spotted light ahead, and almost fainted in relief. But I decided to postpone that until I was out of the dark, creepy forest, so I rushed ahead eagerly, pulling Kaden with me. Suddenly, I thought I heard a voice from the light, and I stopped. Kaden heard it, too, and pulled me to a spot behind a bush where we could look ahead without being seen.

We saw a clearing, with barren, muddy ground, and a pool of murky water in its center. Enough light came through the trees that we could see, but it was still dark. In the center of the pond was lying a Pokemon.

It was vaguely swan-shaped, though it wasn't birdlike. Its skin was purple, blue and yellow, and around its body instead of wings were translucent ribbons that floated. Its eyes were closed in sleep.

I gasped in recognition. It was Cresselia! What was she doing here?

But then I immediately covered my mouth as I spotted the other figure, the one whose voice we had heard. It was Darkrai, floating in front of Cresselia. We watched intently as he addressed Cresselia's apparently sleeping form.

"I'm sorry that I had to do this, but I had no choice." The tone was surprisingly softer than the ones we had heard from Darkrai before, though I figured that that was because it had been trying to kill me. Then it continued.

"Orders are orders, and you were the first one to be put out of commission, though I would rather not have." I saw Cresselia suddenly twitch as if in discomfort. Darkrai's claw reached out and touched her forehead, then withdrew. "There, you will not suffer from the nightmares anymore, at least not for a while. I can't mess up again, I've already failed in my other task… I'm sorry."

Then Darkrai's form wavered and vanished.

After a few seconds, I glanced at Kaden, who shrugged confusedly. Then, after waiting for a bit longer to see if Darkrai would reappear, I slowly rose from my hiding place and emerged into the clearing, glancing around cautiously. Kaden joined me, then, when nothing jumped out at us, we turned our attention to Cresselia.

"So that's why Cresselia wasn't on Fullmoon Island," Kaden mused. I nodded, then floated closer to her to examine her.

"What's wrong with her?" Kaden inquired curiously, following me.

I felt that I knew all too well what was wrong with her. "I think it's the same thing that happened to my mother," I answered slowly. "She's under Darkrai's influence."

"But I thought Cresselia _cured_ nightmares," Kaden said, confused.

"Not if she's in one," I surmised. Kaden thought for a second, then nodded.

"I guess that makes sense. But now what?"

I sighed, landing a few feet away from Cresselia in the pool, which was about an inch deep. "I don't know. She can't help mother if she's like this, can she…"

Then Cresselia flashed once, causing Kaden and I to cry out in surprise and look away, our eyes unadjusted to bright light. When we could see again, we looked back and saw to our surprise that there was something floating in front of her.

It was a feather, curled into a crescent shape. It glowed and shone green and yellow, shimmering translucently. As we watched, the feather slowly lowered toward the soggy ground, coming to rest delicately on top of the water and causing a ripple.

A faint feminine voice spoke into my mind. "Take the Lunar Wing…"

The feather stopped glowing and floated on the surface of the pool. Kaden and I watched it in surprise and confusion for several seconds, before Kaden spoke.

"What just happened?"

I continued to stare at the feather. "I think she was able to contact us even while she was asleep. But what's this…?" I then floated up and to the feather to pick it up. To my surprise, it was almost weightless, even more so than other feathers. I studied it in my paws.

"Cresselia said to take the 'Lunar Wing'," Kaden mused aloud, glancing at the feather I was holding. "That means that it's probably the Lunar Wing. But what…"

I remembered something. "The Lunar Wing is supposed to cure nightmares. If this is it, then we can just take it and use it to cure my mother. But it could also cure Cresselia…"

I moved toward Cresselia and held it out to her. There was no reaction.

"How do you work it, anyway?" Kaden asked rhetorically. I withdrew the feather and peered at it closely, looking for some way of using it, but I saw nothing special. It was just a feather; a shiny, almost weightless feather, but a feather all the same.

"I don't know," I answered, frowning at the shiny object. "Maybe this isn't the Lunar Wing, but then what else could it be? Or maybe…"

Kaden apparently came to the same conclusion as me, because he finished my sentence. "…it doesn't work for Cresselia."

I nodded. "But I don't know why it wouldn't."

Kaden glanced at it. "Maybe it only works once, and it's for your mom."

I thought about that. "But then what about Cresselia?"

"It doesn't look like there's anything we can do for her right now. We'll think about that after we cure your mom."  
I hesitated, then nodded and turned, holding the feather. "Alright." Then I looked around and realized that I didn't know which way we'd come from.

"Which way did we come?" I asked Kaden. He glanced around the clearing, then shrugged.

"I don't remember, but it's a small forest. We just keep going in one direction and we'll eventually get out."

I nodded and then braced myself to go back through the dark creepy forest.


	14. Ho Oh

Chapter 14 – Ho-Oh

**Chapter 14 – Ho-Oh**

Two red eyes glowed from the shadows that covered the room. They waited.

A single blue eye appeared, attached to a shadowy figure. The red eyes regarded it.

"Have you succeeded?"

After a moment, the dark, shadowy figure spoke. "No."

The red eyes blinked. "Why not?"

"They fought me off."

"They fought you… and won?"

The blue eye flashed. "Yes."

"You will not make the same mistake again."

"What—" The voice was cut off abruptly as a flash of light filled the room, and the shadowy figure with its one icy blue eye disappeared.

.

The sun was starting to set, as luck would have it, so it was even darker in the forest than before. This was good and bad. It was good because my mind couldn't play tricks on me anymore. It was bad because, well, I couldn't _see_.

As soon as we entered the forest, I saw nothing but blackness around me, and I felt myself beginning to panic. "I can't see anything!"

Then I felt Kaden's claw take hold of my paw. "It's alright, I'll protect you."

I calmed down, though my heart was still beating furiously. "Okay."

We navigated through the forest, feeling our way through, and eventually we emerged back onto the dry, cracked ground of the island. I let go of Kaden and collapsed with relief to the ground. Then Kaden asked the question I had been waiting for him to ask.

"Avari, are you afraid of the dark?"

I looked up at him, then hesitated for a moment before replying. "Yes."

He seemed taken aback by my response, either that or my willingness to admit it. "Oh."

I sat on the ground, pretending to study the feather I held. Then something made me look up at the sky, and I spotted something.

"Look," I told Kaden, pointing at the small glowing object, which was moving across the sky. He peered up at it.

"It could be one of those planes that the humans have," Kaden guessed, before suddenly his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Wait, that's Ho-Oh!"

I looked up at the shining object and squinted. I couldn't tell what it was at this distance. "How can you tell?"

Kaden glanced at me, then turned back to the sky. "I can barely tell, but that's what I think it is." We both watched as it disappeared from sight over the horizon.

Then we found food and water, surprising as it was to find them on this island, and settled down onto a patch of scraggly grass as the sun set.

.

I looked around, admiring my surroundings. I was in a long hallway, one that was made of a translucent, glowing white material. But there were no walls; through the empty space between the floor and the ceiling, I could see stars shining.

I turned to look behind me, and saw the top of a glowing white staircase, which led down into the unknown. I didn't feel curious at all about this, though. Instead my attention was drawn to the far end of the hall, opposite the stairs.

I floated that way, trying to make out the details, which were lost in the distance. Soon I was close enough to see four metal objects on the floor, and as I drew nearer, I realized that they were four chains attached to rings, with the rings floating in the air.

Once I was a few feet away from them, I stopped and hovered. I sensed that there was something there, something more powerful than me…

Then two glowing eyes appeared in the air above the chains. The parts that should have been white glowed green, and the irises were red. There was nothing attached to them. They stared at me, piercing through me. I became nervous.

Then a deep voice spoke from the space immediately underneath them, causing the entire room to rumble. "I am the original and the last, the light and the shadow. I am the moon and the Earth, the sun and the stars. I know all…"

I became even more afraid. "Wh-what do you want?"

The eyes continued staring at me. "I have brought you here to give a message. When three were one, one did come, and from one was none. When all were one, none was all, and one will be one. But when one is none and then is one, one will be all, and two will be two…"

The voice faded away. Then it spoke again, causing the floor under me to rumble even more than before. "When three were one, one and I did come, and from I was none. Yet when all were one, none was all. One will be one. Beware the one that was none and then was one, for one will be all. And two will be two…"

My vision faded away into grayness, and then blackness, but as this happened, I barely heard a voice whispering to me, "And two will be two…" Then I heard nothing.

.

I woke to the sunlight on my face. I yawned and stretched, then froze and opened my eyes when my paws hit a light, dry material that had not been there before. Looking up at what my paws had struck, I saw a large brown face, with a ball on each side that had a hole in it and two small horns on the top.

I quickly pulled back, floating a few feet away from it. It didn't move, and now I saw the grey body, brown tattered wings and brown insect-like arms. I realized that it was a shed shell of a Nincada, sitting upright in the grass. It must have come here to shed its shell sometime during the night.

Looking around, I spotted Kaden still sleeping a few feet away. Next to him was another shell, also sitting upright in the grass. I decided to let him discover it on his own.

Giggling slightly, I went to look for food and water.


	15. Shedinja

Chapter 15 – Shedinja

**Chapter 15 – Shedinja**

I returned with some berries a few minutes later to find Kaden still sleeping. I had left the feather next to him, and it was still there, shimmering translucently on the grass. The empty shells of the Nincada were still there, too. I floated over to a spot near Kaden and sat in the scraggly, barely living grass.

At the sound of the grass rustling due to this action, Kaden's eyes opened, and he stretched and looked up… finding the empty shell staring down at him. His eyes widened and he lurched backward instinctively before realized what it was. Looking around, he spotted me trying to keep from laughing.

"That's not funny." He glared at me.

Then I heard a buzzing noise and stopped laughing, looking around to try to find the source of the noise. Kaden heard it too, and grew serious as well.

"What is it?" he asked, looking around. There appeared to be no other living creatures aside from the plants in sight.

"I don't know," I replied confusedly. "It could be a…" Then my eyes fell on one of the shed Nincada shells, which were each as big as me. That was when I realized where it was coming from. "It's coming from inside the shells!"

Kaden looked at each of them in turn, then tapped the one next to him. It fell over, and the buzzing noise increased.

Then I noticed something above the other shell. It was a vague shape, made of mist, and very faint. It appeared to be a crescent shape, but it was barely visible.

Then the shape suddenly became solid, revealing itself to indeed be a white crescent floating sideways above the shell. Behind me, Kaden gave a cry of surprise.

"What is—" I started to ask, when the empty Nincada shell stopped buzzing and lifted into the air.

It began moving toward me, and I backed away confusedly. "What's going on?" Kaden asked from behind me, and I glanced back to see that the other shell also now had a crescent above it and was floating.

I turned my attention back to the one in front of me. "I don't know, but…" I concentrated on my psychic powers, and my eyes began to glow. But nothing happened to the shell that was floating slowly toward me.

Behind me, I heard Kaden exhale loudly, and turned slightly to see him breathing fire at the other shell. It was engulfed in the flames for a moment, before Kaden closed his mouth.

When the flames stopped, the empty, floating shell was completely unharmed. It continued floating toward him, and he backed away.

Then I was hit by a black beam from the one in front of me, which instantly drained my strength and caused me to collapse to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other one shoot a similar beam at Kaden, who flew out of the way.

The one in front of me floated closer, and I struggled to move away despite my sudden weariness. I put my concentration into my arm, which started glowing. I waited until the shell was close enough for me to reach, then I swung my arm and punched it as hard as I could. The force would surely crush a brittle husk.

But to my surprise and dismay, my attack simply bounced off of it, not even denting it. Then it fired another black beam at me from its eye-like protrusions, which again collided with me and was absorbed.

I became suddenly dizzy, and the world spun around me as I collapsed to the ground. Within a few seconds, I was unconscious.

.

A large black creature, roughly four feet tall, with two arms, two stubby feet, a long trailing hair-like protrusion coming from its head, and a short orange, fluffy tail sat on the grass, eyes closed.

It suddenly opened its eyes, revealing them to be completely red with cat-like pupils, and stared out across the ocean before it. It spoke to itself aloud without opening its orange zipper-like mouth.

"I sense a disturbance in the aura…"

A large green, scaly head with two crests on it, one above each yellow eye, and a red lower jaw emerged from the trees behind the black creature. It spoke in a deep voice.

"You've sensed a lot of 'disturbances in the aura', you know."

The black and orange creature didn't move. "Yes, I have."

"Ever since that one time five years ago… They were all nothing."

"That 'one time' was the event that set off all the others. They were not 'nothing', they were only resolved before we arrived."

"What's so special about this time?"

"The disturbance this time is almost as great as the one that occurred six years ago."

The green scaly creature emerged the rest of the way from the trees, revealing a tall, reptilian body that was mostly green, except for a red stripe on its stomach and four yellow orbs on its back. Leaf-like protrusions extended from all sides of its tail and two from each wrist. It stood on its hind legs and was a full two feet taller than the other figure.

It took a step toward the black figure. "The one that occurred six years ago?"

The smaller creature nodded without turning. "Yes."

Then a small mammalian creature with white and brown-striped fur emerged from the trees as well, rushing to join the other two. "Don't listen, it's always nothing. He always thinks it's something, but it's always nothing."

The black figure turned away from the ocean to stare at the small white and brown creature. "It wasn't nothing six years ago. You saw that. It isn't nothing now. Something is coming…"

The smaller creature cocked its head curiously. "What is it, then?"

The black creature turned back to the ocean. "It is a major change… I don't know its identity, or what form it will take, but it will change everything…"

.

Kaden dodged the black beam, then suddenly remembered the name of the creature that was attacking him. Shedinja! They were possessed shells left behind by Nincada, but why were they here? He hadn't noticed any Nincada on the island…

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Avari fall to the ground, hit by a beam from the one that was coming after her. "Avari!" Kaden exclaimed, turning to help her. But then a beam struck him, and he became weak, falling to the ground.

The Shedinja both closed in on their targets, one hovering over Avari and one approaching Kaden. Kaden's wing twitched, striking the nearer Shedinja, but instead of sending it flying, it simply bounced off as if it had struck a wall.

"Ow." Kaden lowered his injured wing, which was turning purple at the impact point. The Shedinja appeared to take no notice, continuing to float closer to him.

The Shedinja went past him, continuing forward as if he wasn't there. Kaden blinked, then turned to follow its progress before realizing that it was heading toward Avari. He suddenly realized that like the previous attacks, Avari was the main target.

"No!" Kaden cried, lifting unsteadily into the air and flying off after the Shedinja. But since he was so tired, he barely covered half the distance when he crashed back to the earth, luckily landing on his uninjured wing.

The Shedinja took no notice. Now the one that had attacked him had reached Avari and was floating over her with the other. They both tilted slightly, facing Avari, who was unconscious on the ground.

Then two black beams came in rapid succession from behind Kaden, each striking one Shedinja and vaporizing it instantly.

Kaden stared for a second in surprise, then turned to discover another Shedinja floating behind him. He cried out and floated a few inches away before falling back to the ground, after which the Shedinja began glowing.

The Shedinja fell to the ground and changed shape. Once the glow faded, it was revealed to be a pink blob with a face. Kaden stared, then collapsed in relief.

"Ditto!"

Ditto flashed and changed to look like Avari. "That's me."

"Where's Adham?"

Ditto pointed behind it with its tail. "He's back there, doing all his science-y stuff." The next second, Avari groaned and shifted.


	16. Disturbance

Chapter 16 – Disturbance

**Chapter 16 – Disturbance**

The large red and green creature looked around. It had long legs with pointy ends rather than feet, two tentacles instead of arms, and a purple crystal in its chest. It was named Deoxys.

Around Deoxys was an old building, with faded red carpets and rotting wood. But this didn't bother him, for it was his home.

He glanced out one grimy window, hoping to see his daughter returning. But there was nothing except trees and bushes. A few wild Pokemon were out hunting, but that was it.

Deoxys remembered Avari saying that she was going to find a cure for her mother. But he had told her not to, though the next day she had left anyway. Now he could only hope she found it, or at least returned safely. He sighed, realizing that it had been a week since she had left.

Then a flash of color outside the window caught his monochrome eye, and he floated to the window and peered through, curious.

The next second, the window was blasted inward, and only through his quick reactions built up through fighting experience did Deoxys avoid being cut apart by the glass shards.

"Who's there?!" he demanded telepathically, broadcasting his thoughts outward. He assumed a fighting position in case it was hostile.

Then he jumped aside as a black ball of pulsing light flew through the window frame, hitting the exact spot where he had been standing and then vanishing. A figure followed it, floating into the abandoned building. It turned its face to Deoxys, who stared at it and blinked in astonishment.

Then it spoke telepathically. "I want something of yours."

Deoxys blinked, then asked, "What do you want?"

The other figure alighted on the floor in front of Deoxys. "Your name."

.

I groaned and shifted as I regained consciousness. I became aware of my surroundings, feeling the grass under me, and suddenly realized that I was lying on my tail. Opening my eyes and seeing that I was in the same spot as before, I rolled over far enough that I could remove my tail. Then I remembered the evil shells.

I looked around confusedly, but they were gone. Kaden was on the ground a few feet away, and next to him was… me.

I blinked and stared at the other creature, which looked like me. It laughed.

"You don't remember me?" it asked in my voice.

I then realized that it was Ditto. "Why are _you_ here?"

Ditto shrugged. "Adham wanted to come here to do research on this island, so we came, and I found you just in time."

I lifted myself off the ground and floated slightly closer. "What were they?"

Kaden answered. "They were Shedinja."

I then remembered vaguely hearing about Shedinja, which were possessed shells left behind by Nincada when they evolved. "Oh."

Kaden looked around, and I noticed that he seemed tired. "Yeah." He shifted and settled into a more comfortable position, and I noticed that his right wing was sticking out awkwardly.

"What happened to your wing?"

He glanced down at it and winced. "I tried to hit one of those Shedinja with it. It didn't work well."

Ditto glanced at him, then at me, before announcing, "I'll go get Adham." Then it left across the island.

We stared after Ditto for a moment, then Kaden turned back to me. "Are you all right?"

I laid down on the ground wearily. "I'm okay, just tired from those attacks."

Kaden nodded slowly. "Yeah, they packed a punch."

I glanced at him. "They got you, too?"

He nodded again, then laid his head on the grass. After a moment, his breathing became slower, and I realized that he had fallen asleep.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep, too.

.

Deoxys stumbled slightly as he avoided a black, glowing beam, which dissipated on the grass. The other figure, which looked exactly like him, approached slowly.

"You cannot defeat me. Give up!"

Deoxys's chest crystal glowed, and a beam of white energy seared from it toward the doppelganger. The other simply jumped out of the way nimbly, allowing the beam to strike a tree and blast it to pieces.

Then the copy sent a purple ball at Deoxys, which he barely dodged. Deoxys began thinking of ways to escape, because he was tiring much faster than the apparent copy. He knew he wouldn't last much longer.

Then Deoxys was struck by another purple ball and knocked to the ground flat. He struggled upright, then faced the other figure. The doppelganger's chest crystal began to glow.

Deoxys, knowing what to expect, prepared to dodge. But when the attack came, he was too slow, and the white-hot beam struck him in the side, sending him smashing into a tree. His vision was clouded by pain, and he had to use all of his strength to stand again.

Deoxys fired beams of black energy at the copy, which dodged them. Then, before it had time to react, his eyes glowed, and a purple aura surrounded it. The copy was instantly rendered immobile.

Then the copy's eyes began to glow, and Deoxys felt the other trying to loosen his psychic hold on it. He struggled to gain dominance, and for a few seconds, the two of them were locked in a battle of will.

Then Deoxys felt his control slipping as he slowly gave way to fatigue. Desperately he fought against it, but the other creature slowly gained control.

The light in his eyes faded, and he felt the copy gain control of his body, surrounding him with a purple aura. Deoxys weakly fought back, but he couldn't do anything as he was lifted into the air.

A voice said in his mind, "I expected more of a challenge." Then his body exploded into agony as he was smashed through a tree, and he fell into unconsciousness.


	17. Mainland

Chapter 17 – Mainland

**Chapter 17 – Mainland**

I woke up, feeling refreshed, and stretched before opening my eyes. Still half asleep, I sat up and glanced around, seeing Kaden already awake and idly fidgeting.

"What time is it?" I asked him, hoping that I wasn't out the whole day.

"Around midday."

"Oh, okay. What happened while I was asleep?"

Kaden shrugged. "Adham came and checked on us, then left. Nothing else happened."

I looked around again, wondering what to do now. We had gotten the Lunar Wing—

"Wait, where's the feather?" I cried, getting up and searching frantically in the grass. I didn't want to lose it after coming all this way for it.

"I've got it," Kaden said, showing me the yellow and green feather he held. I sat back down, relieved.

"Alright, then, what now?" I then wondered aloud, glancing at the feather.

Kaden shrugged again. "I guess we go back home."

I looked out across the ocean. I couldn't tell which direction I was looking, though. "Which way?"

"The mainland is east," Kaden mused, "but I didn't wake up in time today to see which direction the sun rose from."

I glanced at him, then thought of a solution. "Wait, why don't we ask Adham? He might be able to take us in the boat, too."

Kaden nodded. "Okay, let's do that."

After a few minutes of searching the island, we found Adham, sitting on the ground in front of one of his various machines. It was larger than me, and I idly wondered how he had gotten it off the boat.

He looked up at our approach and smiled. "Hello, you're doing better now, I hope?"

I nodded. "Yes. We need your help."

Adham watched us curiously. "What is it?"

Kaden answered. "We need to get back to the mainland, but we don't know which direction it is."

Adham thought for a second, then pointed in a direction. "I believe east is that way. If you would like, I could also take you there."

I nodded again. "Yes, we would like that. Thank you."

A few minutes later, we were in the boat again, headed this time for the mainland. Adham had left all of his machines and devices behind on the island, because he said he was going back there afterward.

We took off toward the east, and again Ditto, who was coming with us, changed into my form.

"Where are you going, anyway?" it asked.

"Home," I answered. Ditto cocked its/my head curiously.

"Where's that?"

I hesitated a moment, not sure why I was reluctant to say. "Eterna Forest." I put it down to the fact that I was conversing with myself.

Ditto seemed to take this information without any curiosity. "That's cool."

I nodded uncertainly, unsure as to why it was "cool". "It is?"

"Everyone has to live somewhere. Although, I just go with Adham, wherever he wants to do research."

Kaden asked, "What kind of research?"

Ditto glanced at him and cartwheeled in midair. "You know, like wild Pokemon's behaviors and stuff like that. Migration routes, breeding habits, all that stuff." I could tell that either Ditto didn't know much about the subject, or it didn't really care.

After roughly an hour of conversing about random subjects, Adham announced, "We've reached the mainland." A few seconds later, the boat slowed and its bottom scraped against sand.

Kaden and I emerged into a snowy landscape, full of trees. We couldn't see anything else past them. Behind us were the ocean and a snowy, frozen beach. We floated out of the boat and onto the snow past the beach, just at the fringe of the trees.

"Do you need anything else?" Adham called, emerging partially from the boat. Kaden and I turned.

"No, thank you!" I answered, waving.

"Alright then, goodbye!"

We waved and then turned to enter the snowy forest. I held the Lunar Wing, the only thing that could save my mother, as Kaden and I passed by the outermost trees.


	18. Chance Encounter

Chapter 18 – Chance Encounter

**Chapter 18 – Chance Encounter**

We floated through the snow-covered woods, and were promptly and repeatedly covered by snow shaken from the trees. Eventually I stopped, chilled and soaking wet.

Kaden continued for a second, then realized I had stopped and did likewise before turning. "What's wrong?"

I shivered, trying to curl into a ball in midair. "I'm cold, and wet."

He moved slightly closer. "I'm cold, too, and my feathers are soaked. You're better off than me, you have no wet fur or feathers."

I realized that he was right; his feathers trapped snow and freezing water, and though I had nothing similar to keep me warm, I would be even colder if I was as wet as he was. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I guess I really can't complain."

Kaden suddenly looked ashamed. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk to you like that."

I looked up in surprise at this statement, when I noticed a purple blob shooting at Kaden from behind. With a cry of surprise, I flew into him, knocking him to the ground and out of the way. The blob went past us and dissipated against a tree, and since my tail also hit a tree while I was doing this, Kaden and I had snow dumped on us from above.

Kaden and I stayed motionless for a second, I because I was trying to recover from the experience, and Kaden because, well, I was on top of him. He began struggling, and I shook the snow off and floated away. He then rose off the ground, shaking the snow and excess water from his feathers, and faced me.

"What are you doing?!" I realized that Kaden hadn't seen the purple blob.

"Something was coming at you from behind, and I had to get you out of the way."

Kaden blinked. "Oh, thank you, then. What was it?"

"A Shadow Ball."

"Did you see what launched it?"

I shook my head and looked around, shivering. "No."

Suddenly, a deep voice reached our ears. "Logan, what did you think you were doing?"

Another voice, scratchy and slightly higher in pitch, answered as Kaden and I looked around for the source. "They're at the center of it, this disturbance. They have something to do with it, I have sensed it."

I thought I had found which direction the voices were coming from, when a small white and brown-striped blur ran under me from the other direction. To my surprise, it appeared to be talking.

"What's he done now, Alon? What happened now?"

Before either Kaden or I had time to move or do anything, it was already gone. I looked at Kaden, and he looked at me.

"What was that?" I asked rhetorically.

Kaden shrugged, then took off after it. I flew after him, careful to avoid hitting the trees. After a few seconds, we came across three Pokemon standing in the trees and facing each other. One was a large green, leafy lizard, which I recognized as a Sceptile. Another was a smaller black and orange creature with a zipper-like mouth, which I knew to be a Banette. The last was the creature that had rushed underneath me, now in one place and able to be identified as a Linoone.

All three looked up and stared at Kaden and me as we approached. Then the Banette pointed at us accusingly.

"That's them! They're the ones!" it declared in the scratchy voice we had heard before. Kaden and I simply stared in confusion.

"We're what?" I asked, completely lost.

After a second, the Sceptile spoke. "Logan here thinks you'll be the death of us all."

My reaction to this was not what you'd expect. "You can talk?"

After a second of awkward silence, the Linoone said, "Yes, we can talk, all of us can talk. What did you think?"

Kaden shifted. "Well, I thought Pokemon couldn't talk like that." I suddenly realized how limiting my telepathy was compared to speech.

The Sceptile spoke again. "We taught ourselves to." It laughed. "I am Alon, this is Kile," it continued, gesturing to the Linoone, "and this is Logan." Alon gestured to the Banette, who was staring unnervingly at Kaden and me.

Kile the Linoone began speaking. "Who are you, why are you here, why does Logan want to kill you?"

I glanced uneasily between the three of them. "Well, I don't think I can answer the last one… but we're on our way home."

Alon cocked his head curiously. "From where?"

"Newmoon Island," Kaden told them, glancing at me.

Kaden and I tensed as we noticed Logan make a sudden movement. Alon glanced down at him. "What's wrong, Logan?"

Logan watched us suspiciously. "That is where the disturbance in the aura originated…"

I backed up slightly. "Can you tell us about that?" Kaden asked nervously.

Kile turned to Logan. "Yes, enlighten them, tell them about that."

"This morning, I sensed a disturbance in the aura. You know of aura, correct?"

Kaden and I stared blankly at Logan. He somehow sighed without opening his mouth. "Aura is the force of life, given off by all living things. Does that explain it?" Then, without waiting for an answer, he continued. "This disturbance originated on Newmoon Island. But it affects everything, the entire world."

"What is it?" I asked, curious. Logan glared at me, and I backed up a little more.

"I do not know more than I have told you. If I knew, I would tell you! And this disturbance has you two in it, through it, and on it. Can you explain _that_?"

I gulped. "No, not really." Kaden shrugged apprehensively.

"Leave them alone, Logan," Alon remanded Logan. "They obviously don't know anything about it." Then he turned to us. "You must be cold, come with us."

I nodded eagerly, and Alon turned and began walking away. Kile rushed ahead, and Kaden and I followed them. I glanced back, and noticed Logan standing still, staring after us.

I realized that though I now had two new friends, I also had a new enemy.


	19. Ice Sculptures

Chapter 19 – Ice Sculptures

**Chapter 19 – Ice Sculptures**

We soon arrived at a large cave entrance in the side of a small, snow-covered rock formation. Alon gestured toward it.

"This is where the four of us live," he told Kaden and me.

We peered into it, but couldn't see through the darkness. I turned back to him, then realized what he had said. "Four?"

Alon nodded. "Yes, you haven't met Akilah yet. She should be back soon." Then he started into the cavern. We followed without comment.

Surprisingly, once inside, I could see clearly. It was a large room, easily able to fit all of us and have plenty of space left. It appeared to be larger than the rock formation that housed it, and on the opposite side was another hole in the wall, as large as the one we had come through. Everything besides the floor was covered in ice, but it was still warmer than outside.

"It looks bigger than from the outside," Kaden commented in amazement.

"It's underground partway," Alon responded. Kile, who was already there and sitting on the floor, spoke, motioning to the opening opposite us.

"That goes farther underground, it leads under the ground. Follow me, come!" He raced into the aforementioned opening and was swallowed by the darkness. Alon sighed.

"That's Kile for you." Kaden and I looked at him, then glanced at each other. I started toward the opening, curious, and Kaden followed. After a second, I glanced back at Alon, who noticed.

"Go ahead, humor him." I nodded and continued toward the opening, which Kaden was just disappearing into.

It led into an ice-coated tunnel, which was uncomfortably narrow, only a few feet wide, though it was tall enough that Alon could have squeezed through it. I floated down the tunnel silently, admiring the dull sparkling of the ice.

After a distance, the tunnel began to widen, until it was as wide as it was tall. I spotted Kaden and Kile up ahead, waiting for me, and I sped up.

"Look." As soon as I caught up, Kile indicated with one claw the wall of the tunnel, and I turned to look.

To my surprise, a statue made of ice was behind me. I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be, because of the ice around it and the fact that it was almost transparent, but it appeared to be shaped vaguely like a human. It was attached to the icy floor of the tunnel.

"What is it?" I asked in curiosity, floating closer to inspect it.

"It is an ice sculpture, made of ice," Kile said. "It looks like a human, though I don't know which one. I have never seen a human that looks like it."

"Did you make it?" I inquired, turning back to them.

Kile shook his head. "No, it was there when we came here, it was here before we were."

"There's more of them up ahead," Kaden told me, smiling. Kile then took off ahead of us, and we flew after him.

There were indeed more up ahead, statues of ice depicting every possible thing imaginable. There were some resembling Pokemon, some that resembled humans, and some that looked like nothing I had seen before. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a chance to look at them, because Kile was constantly calling to Kaden and me, telling us to hurry.

Eventually, we emerged into a large ice-covered cavern, where Kile waited. It was considerably smaller than the first, but I noticed that the walls and floor behind the ice were covered in various symbols that I couldn't understand.

Kaden studied them. "What do they mean?" he asked, looking up at Kile, who was sitting on the ice in the center of the room.

Kile shrugged. "I don't know, no one knows."

Suddenly, I noticed a figure in the room that I hadn't noticed before. It was Logan, standing near the opposite wall. "The aura of this area is powerful. Something is here. I believe that it may be connected to what it is that Kile has to show you."

I jerked backward in surprise, and Kaden froze, staring. "How did you get here?"

Logan didn't move. "I have my ways."

Kile didn't seem fazed. "Don't worry, he's like that, he's always like that," he told us. "Follow me, come see!" He abruptly turned away and ran over toward Logan. Kaden and I hesitated a moment, then followed.

"Look into the ice," Logan told us.

Kaden and I glanced at him, then stared into the ice that covered the wall. I noticed that it seemed thicker here, for some reason. "It looks thicker in this part than everywhere else," Kaden commented, voicing my thoughts. Kile nodded.

"Yes, it is. Look more."

I continued to gaze into the ice, looking for whatever they wanted us to see. Then I noticed a vague bit of color in the ice, but it was distorted and fuzzy.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to it and turning to Kile.

"It's something that's sealed in the ice," Logan answered instead. "Something with a powerful aura. It is alive."

Kaden stared at the spot I was pointing at. "It's alive?"

Logan nodded as I turned to him. "Yes, it sleeps within the ice, sealed away. Also, the reason it is not clearly visible is that not all of the material covering it is ice. Some of it is mineral, but transparent."

I turned to look at the object again, seeing only a fuzzy yellow-greenish blur. "Why don't we get it out?"

Kile answered, shaking his furry head furiously. "No, it's been tried, but we cannot break the ice. The ice cannot be broken, we tried."

Suddenly, Logan spoke. "Go back, there is nothing else here. Akilah has returned." Turning away from us, he then said, "I will be watching you." Then he somehow walked without moving his feet and disappeared into the wall.

Kaden and I blinked, staring after him. Kile laughed.

"He likes to do that, yes he does. But come, we should go back now, as he said."

With that, Kile turned and rushed back into the tunnel. Kaden followed a second later, and I took one last look at the ice on the wall next to me, with its trapped object inside. I thought I could vaguely make out a small shape, before it was distorted again. A moment later, I went back into the tunnel as well.


	20. Awakening

Chapter 20 – Awakening

**Chapter 20 – Awakening**

Akilah was a Dodrio. She had two long bird-like legs, a round body with brown feathers, a red tail, and three heads, one on top of each tall tan-colored neck. Each head had two black feathers on top and a sharp beak, and was covered with brown feathers. Apparently, she also lived in this cave, and had gone out to gather berries.

Introductions were made, and then the five of us ate and settled down to sleep. Logan was absent, as I was beginning to realize was not unusual. Still, it made me nervous.

I had managed to learn some things about our hosts during this time. It seemed that they had all been caught and trained by a certain human, who they called Brendan. They had become friends with each other and the human, and he had taught them how to speak a little. But eventually, he had gone somewhere without them, and after a few years of waiting they gave up. They had all wandered around Sinnoh together, until they ended up here, and decided to stay.

In return, Kaden and I had told them about ourselves, where we were going and what we were doing. They all had listened, asking questions and making comments, but seemed to not know much about the various legends our story was associated with. I showed them the Lunar Wing, and they said that they hadn't heard of it before.

In the end, we had all gone to sleep. Despite the hard cave floor and the slight cold coming in through the entrance, I fell asleep quickly.

.

I was back home, in the building in Eterna Forest that was abandoned by the humans. I glanced around, seeing the decrepit furniture and walls. Then a figure appeared from the shadows. It was a purple, human-like figure, though strangely shaped.

It flew past me and out the window, disappearing. I stared after it, then saw something else outside. A flash of something red passing by. Curious, I floated to the window and looked through it.

Outside was the forest, full of trees and plants. It was still. After a moment, a red and green figure flew past, and I cried out in recognition.

"Father!"

I flew to the door and went through it, emerging outside. There I saw my father, floating above the grass, and facing… my father. There were two of him.

I stared in astonishment, then they turned to me at the same time. I heard my father's voice in my mind, coming from the one on the right.

"When three were one, one did come, and from one was none. When all were one, none was all, and one will be one."

Then the other said, "When one is none and then is one, one will be all, and two will be two."

Then they both disappeared. I looked around bewilderedly.

After a moment, another figure appeared from behind a tree. It looked like a human, but it was covered in a cloak and the features were indistinguishable. It lifted its concealed face to stare at me, and I noticed something red shining from the shadows over its face. Then it said, "Two will be two, but the two must be one, before all may be all."

Then it disappeared, and I turned around without my control. I looked into the darkened entrance to my home, and saw nothing but blackness inside. After a moment, two eyes appeared, each glowing red and green.

A deep rumbling voice that shook the entire building spoke. "Seek the three to find the one, and find the last before you are done. Do not return before you have finished."

Then I was moving forward, passing through the opening and being enveloped in the darkness…

.

I woke suddenly to hear Logan's voice. "Come, it awakens!"

I opened my eyes and sat up, yawning. Glancing around tiredly, I noticed the others doing the same. Then I turned my attention to the black figure standing motionless near the entrance to the tunnel.

"What do you want now?" one of Akilah's heads demanded. The other two opened their eyes and looked around blearily. Logan turned to her slightly.

"The aura is surging. It is waking!"

I became alert suddenly. "It's waking?" I thought I knew what he was talking about.

"Yes, the ice is weakening."

A minute later, we were all in the room at the other end of the tunnel, watching the wall of ice. It looked no different than before.

Alon turned to Logan, who watched impassively. "If this is a false alarm, I'll—"

"No, watch."

Then, as I looked into the ice, studying the blurry shape visible in its depths, I noticed a slight movement. "It moved!" Kaden exclaimed.

The next second, a bright light began to shine from inside the eyes, blinding us all for a second. With several cries of surprise, we averted our eyes, waiting for the glow to diminish.

After a second, the light faded, and we turned back to the ice. We watched as the indistinguishable object in the ice began to twitch repeatedly. Then there was a loud cracking noise, and we all moved away nervously.

Cracks began to appear in the ice, running along it like webs. The cracks spread across it, going slowly at first and then gaining speed, until the entire wall was covered with them, and it stopped.

We stared at the ice, blinking. "What hap—" I started to say, when the ice exploded.

I instinctively covered my face with my paws as I was showered with ice. The ice mostly was blunt, but a few pieces cut into me, making me wince. After a moment, the barrage ended, and I uncovered my face, looking around.

The floor was covered with ice shards, and I noticed that everyone else had gotten cut at least once by it, except for Logan, who was somehow unharmed. I didn't dwell on this much, though, for then I noticed the wall in front of me, which was no longer covered in more than a thin layer of ice.

On the ground, amid the ice shards, was a small yellow and white creature. It was vaguely human-like, but much smaller, with tiny feet and a large yellow head. Its body and face were white, and its head had points on the top, left and right. Attached to each of these points was a strip of what appeared to be blue paper, covered with markings. Attached to its back were long yellow, flat things that fell to the ground limply. Its eyes, which had green markings under them, were currently closed as it sat on the ice.

After a moment, Kaden asked, "What is it?"


	21. Jirachi

Chapter 21 – Jirachi

**Chapter 21 – Jirachi**

The creature opened its eyes, and we all moved back in case it was hostile. To our surprise, it yawned and looked around blearily, as if just waking up. Its gaze fell on us, and then I heard a somewhat high, but definitely masculine voice in my mind.

"Who are you?" it asked. We stared. After a moment, I spoke hesitantly to it with my mind.

"Who are you?" I mentally slapped myself for being unoriginal.

The creature looked at me, and I saw that its eyes were dark blue. "I'm Jirachi. Who are you?" it repeated once again.

I hesitated. "Avari."

Jirachi nodded and turned to the others. "What about the rest of you?"

Everyone else introduced themselves to Jirachi. Then Kaden asked, "What were you doing in… there?" He gestured toward the wall.

Jirachi glanced back. "I was sleeping. What time is it, by the way?"

"The middle of the night," Akilah supplied. Jirachi shook his head.

"No, I meant…" He appeared to think for a moment. "What year is it?"

The rest of us glanced at each other, then I told him, "Two thousand five hundred and twenty three."

Jirachi's eyes widened. "What?" He stared into the air as if in a daze. "A thousand years…"

We stared in bewilderment. After a moment, he looked back at us. "So I did sleep for that long after all… That means that I only have a week."

"What's wrong?" Kaden asked, confused. Jirachi turned to him.

"I can only stay awake for a week, then I have to sleep again. For another thousand years." Then he sighed. "Oh well, I have some things to do, then…"

Jirachi flashed once, and we turned away. When we looked back confusedly, he glanced around dizzily and then collapsed to the ground on his back. Startled, I moved toward him slightly.

"I'm fine," Jirachi said without moving. "I just used up a lot of energy."

"What did you do?" Kile asked, coming forward.

"I granted the wishes written on my tags," Jirachi told us, motioning to the blue strips of paper attached to his head, which were now blank.

"Wishes?" Kaden repeated.

Jirachi nodded, then sat up. I noticed that he didn't appear to mind the ice shards he was sitting on. "I can grant wishes while I'm awake. Which is a week every thousand years," he added sadly. Then he glanced at us and appeared startled.

"You're all cut up. Did I do that?"

We all glanced at ourselves, wincing slightly as we noticed our scars, and then nodded.

"Sorry. Here." Jirachi began to glow as we watched, and after a moment, sparkles of light spread from him, which began to circle around us and fill the room. They brightened gradually until I couldn't see anything, but mysteriously they didn't hurt my eyes like the last two flashes.

I tried to move, but found that I couldn't. There was nothing holding me, it was just as if my body didn't want to. Then I realized that I didn't want to move, either, and I simply stayed still.

But soon, the light faded, and I could see again. Everyone was in the exact same position as before, only something was different. I felt much better.

"There, you're fixed now," Jirachi told us. I glanced down and saw that all the places where I had been cut by the ice were gone.

"Thank you," Alon said, and everyone else, myself included, nodded in agreement. Jirachi nodded back, then rose into the air and hovered.

I blinked, and Kaden asked rhetorically, "So you can float, too?"

Jirachi smiled. "Yes."

After a few seconds of silence, we realized that there was nothing else to be said on the subject. So then I asked, "What is it you need to do, now that you're awake?"

Jirachi looked at me as if I was an alien. "What do you do when you're awake?"

I glanced around at all the others, who shrugged confusedly. Then I turned back to Jirachi. "Um… live?" I answered uncertainly.

Jirachi nodded. "Exactly." He floated slightly closer to us. "I get to do whatever I want for seven days, maybe granting some wishes, then I fall back asleep." He glanced around then and sighed, crossing his arms. "I hate my life."

Even though I had met Jirachi only a few minutes ago, I felt sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

Jirachi glanced at me. "It's not your fault, that's just how I am. Anyway, what now?"

I glanced around at the others who were standing or floating behind me, with the exception of Logan, who had disappeared some time before. I realized that I was tired, considering that it was the middle of the night.

"I hate to say this," Kile started, "but I think we need to sleep. It's nighttime, so we need to sleep."

Jirachi looked at him and sighed. "I was afraid that would be the answer. Oh, well, you all go to sleep and I'll go outside and see what's changed."

We nodded, and our entire group, missing Logan but now with another member, went back through the tunnel of ice.

I decided that there would be some discussion the next morning concerning the events of the night.


	22. Traveling Companion

Chapter 22 – Traveling Companion

**Chapter 22 – Traveling Companion**

I woke to sunlight falling through the cave entrance on my face. Yawning and stretching, I gazed around sleepily, seeing Kaden, Alon, Kile, and Akilah all scattered throughout the ice-filled room. None of the others were awake yet.

Glancing through the cavern entrance, I saw trees and snow, and one other thing. Jirachi was sitting in the snow outside, his back to the cave. I floated up and went over to him.

"Hi," he said into my mind, without turning. "Good morning."

I floated onto the snow next to him, then cringed at the cold and instead hovered in the air. "Good morning," I returned.

Jirachi glanced at me, and I noticed with some surprise that he appeared sad. Then he looked away. "Do you know how much that means?" he asked me. I blinked.

"What?"

"Just to wake up and say 'good morning'. To be able to see, to move, to be free."

I thought about that. "Sort of."

Jirachi sighed and glanced around at the trees. "I didn't think so. You never know what you have until it's gone." Then he glanced at me again. "Who are you? I met you last night, and you know my story, but I don't know any of yours."

I suddenly realized that he was right, he knew nothing about any of us. "Well, I don't really have a story. Not really. But I've lived in Eterna Forest for my entire life."

Jirachi blinked and looked at me confusedly. "Eterna Forest?"

I remembered that he had been sleeping for a thousand years, and the land probably changed. "It's a forest south of here."

Jirachi looked away and nodded. "Oh, I guess the names and geography have changed. When I went to sleep last, I was on an island, with no snow. It makes me realize just how long I was sleeping." Then he glanced at me again and asked, "Avari, what would you do if you woke up one day and everything was completely different?"

The question caught me off guard. "I don't know, I would… I don't know what I would do."

Jirachi looked down at the snow and sighed. I sensed that this was the wrong answer, so I tried again. "I would try to… make the best of it, I guess."

Jirachi looked up at me and, after a moment, smiled. "That's probably what I should do." Then he frowned. "Wait, if you live in a forest to the south, why are you here?"

"I came to try to find a cure for my mother, who has nightmares and can't wake up," I told him. I quickly summarized my journey thus far, and after I was done Jirachi nodded thoughtfully.

"Your mother can't wake up… I know what that's like. Can I come with you?"

I was surprised. "Why?"

"I don't know, what else am I going to do during the seven days I've got?" Jirachi shrugged and looked up at me hopefully, and I realized that not only did he want to come, he _needed_ to come.

I nodded and smiled. "All right."

Jirachi smiled happily, then tried to hide his emotions. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Before I could stop myself, I floated down and hugged him. After a moment of surprise, Jirachi hugged me back.

A few seconds later, I realized what I was doing and let go, feeling my face turn bright red. Jirachi also let go at the same instant and turned away so I couldn't see his face. I floated a distance away and studied a tree branch until my face regained its normal color, then I flew off between two trees, saying, "I'm hungry, I'll go find food."

.

Alon silently chuckled to himself from within the icy cave, where he had been watching Avari and Jirachi talking for the past five minutes. He had woken up just as Avari had gone outside and had watched them, though he couldn't hear the words spoken.

_They do not yet realize…_ The thought trailed off as Alon sadly recalled Jirachi's words the previous night. _Seven days… Only seven days._

Then, _I hope they do not grow too attached to each other._

.

I flew through the forest, looking for berries or anything edible. Shortly I spotted some berries growing on a snow covered bush.

I floated over to the berries and inspected them. They were small, round, and mostly yellow with green ring-like patterns on them. It looked like there were plenty enough to feed everyone.

I picked them until I couldn't hold any more, then I carried them back to the cave where the others waited. Upon reaching it, I saw that Jirachi was gone, and Logan was still absent. None of the others appeared to be awake.

When I entered, I noticed Alon sitting on the floor and watching me, in a spot that made him invisible from outside the mouth of the cave. He nodded to me as I set down the berries.

"I brought something to eat," I told him. "I'll go get—"

I never finished that sentence, because the next second a rumbling came from the ice-covered tunnel entrance.


	23. Activation

Chapter 23 – Activation

**Chapter 23 – Activation**

A deep voice called out, causing the translucent white surface to tremble. "Darkrai."

After a few seconds, a shadowy form wavered into view. "I am here, master." There was apprehension behind the voice.

Two eyes appeared in the air before Darkrai, glowing red and green. "I have a task for you."

Darkrai shifted uncomfortably. "I… I have orders already…"

The eyes flashed, and Darkrai cringed as the voice rumbled again. "I am above all others. My will supersedes that of any other being. What I command, you carry out."

Darkrai backed up nervously, trying to think of a way out of this situation. "But I can't…"

"How is it that you cannot disobey your new master?"

"I… There are consequences…"

The eyes disappeared momentarily, then reappeared. "I see." Then, after a moment, "I see that you are forced against your will… What if I were to save you?"

Darkrai glanced at the four metal objects below the eyes. "But you can't… The Ancient Law…"

The glowing red and green eyes flashed again. "There are ways around that…"

.

Everyone instantly woke and snapped their attention to the tunnel entrance. The next second, a loud clinking was heard, echoing toward us down the tunnel.

Behind me, Logan said, "It is coming. The aura of this area was not entirely attributed to Jirachi…"

I glanced back to see him standing in the mouth of the cave. A second later, Jirachi floated past him, alighting on the stone floor next to me. We all turned back to the tunnel, apprehensive.

"What is this?" I asked, and Logan responded.

"It is another ancient power, like Jirachi."

We all glanced at Jirachi, who shrugged. "I don't know."

Several loud clicking sounds were heard, and a moment later, a figure entered the cavern from the tunnel.

It was made of ice, or a material resembling it. It had a large blocky body, with two short, pointy leg-like protrusions and two arms, with three stubby fingers on each arm. Four growths protruded from its back, and on the side facing us, which I assumed was the front, were seven yellow dots arranged in a cross pattern.

It faced us motionlessly, as we stared at it. Then a monotone voice came from it, sounding slightly feminine. I couldn't understand the words; they were in a language that I didn't know. Glancing around confusedly at the rest of the assembled Pokemon and judging from their expressions, I could tell that no one else could understand, either.

Silence fell over the scene, and the icy figure didn't move. Finally, Kile asked, "What is that, can anyone say what it is?"

The creature standing in the entrance to the tunnel immediately spoke again in the same monotone voice as before, only this time I could understand it. "Language confirmed. Voice key incorrect." The next second, a beam of crackling energy shot from its body and into Kile, who was sent flying backward and into the ice-covered wall of the cave.

We all cried out in surprise, some telepathically and some vocally. Kaden and Akilah immediately began attacking the creature, Kaden with flames from his mouth and Akilah with her beak. The icy creature moved out of the way quickly, with no apparent movement of limbs, then turned to face them.

"Threat identified." It shot two more blasts of energy at them, and Akilah dodged, but Kaden was slightly too slow, and was barely struck on his wingtip. Even so, the force sent him flying backwards a few feet before he righted himself.

"Kaden!" I cried, before I joined in, eyes glowing. I searched for the creature's mind with my psychic powers, but to my surprise, found nothing. Before I had too much time to puzzle over this, the icy figure sent a white and blue glowing beam at Kaden. He saw it coming and moved out of the way.

The creature then paused, and Akilah and Kaden began to close in on it. I noticed Logan in the corner of my vision, with a ball of darkness forming between his hands, and next to me Jirachi's eyes glowed briefly before they faded and he assumed a puzzled expression, apparently discovering the same anomaly I had.

Then the icy creature spoke again. "Calculating…" It fired another blue and white beam at Kaden, which he dodged, but then fired another in quick succession, which caught Kaden in the center of his chest. Kaden cried out in pain and flew into the ice-covered wall to my right.

I cried out and rushed over to him, to check if he was alright. Then the creature fired a fourth white and blue beam, this time at Akilah, who was struck and staggered into me. I was thrown to the ground, and with an impact that knocked my breath from me, Akilah landed on top of me, obscuring my vision.

I struggled to get out from under her, but it appeared that she was unconscious, and she was many times heavier than me, so I only ended up tiring myself out. Vaguely I heard the monologue voice say, "Threat neutralized. Commencing mission." Then there was the loud noise of an impact, and the voice spoke again, saying, "Threat identified."

I heard sounds of fighting around me, but I couldn't get out from under Akilah. After a few seconds, I stopped struggling and instead lay trapped there, panting. Just as I was about to renew my efforts, I heard Alon's voice say from above me, "Here, let me help you."

Then I blinked as the heavy burden was lifted from me, and I could move again. I glanced around as I floated upright, seeing Logan and Jirachi dodging beams of crackling energy from the icy creature as Alon carried Akilah to the mouth of the cave, ignored. Kaden and Kile were already lying there, apparently unconscious.

After a second, I realized that the creature was only attacking those who attacked it first, since Alon and I were being left alone. But then, it had attacked Kile first…

Then I floated away as the icy creature in question was struck by one of Logan's balls of darkness and was knocked back, coming to a stop near where I had been. I went to join Alon, who was carefully placing Akilah down.

"Alon! What is that?"

He looked at me, then at the figure of ice. "I don't know, but it _is_ hostile." His tail began to glow green, and he closed his eyes, appearing to concentrate.

The next second, the icy figure froze and turned to face me.


	24. Regice

Chapter 24 – Regice

**Chapter 24 – Regice**

I froze in the air, staring at the icy creature that was facing me. Why was it paying attention to me now? What did I do?

"Visual match confirmed. Voice key required."

I became completely confused, and my brain stopped working. Then from behind me, I heard a rustling noise, and both Logan and Jirachi stopped to stare past me. The noise made my brain start again, and I turned to see what was making it.

The next second, I had to quickly move out of the way as a mass of leaves came pouring into the cave. Turning back to see where they were going, I saw that they were headed for the icy figure in front of the tunnel entranceway.

Logan and Jirachi moved aside to avoid them as the leaves reached the figure. It was obscured from our sight for several seconds as the leaves swirled around it. Glancing around to find the cause of this, I noticed Alon next to me, still with his eyes closed and his tail glowing, and I figured that he was causing it.

Finally the leaves all fell to the floor of the cavern, revealing the figure still standing in the same spot as before. Next to me, Alon's tail stopped glowing, and to my surprise, he fell forward and onto the ground. I lowered down to him in concern.

"Are you alright?" I asked, and his eyes reopened.

"Yes," was his simple answer as he climbed back to his feet.

Deciding that he was alright, I returned my attention to the creature of ice, which was still staring at me. After a few seconds, I couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" I snapped at it telepathically, realizing that it couldn't hear me if it had no mind. To my surprise, it responded.

"Voice key confirmed. Mission objective reached." Then, with a clinking noise, one of its finger-like protuberances fell to the leaf-littered floor. Jirachi, Alon, and I stared at it, then back up at the creature.

"Model Regice mission completed. Self-destruct imminent."

Before I could process that statement, the creature of ice shattered, falling into many shards of ice that, mysteriously, instantly melted away and were absorbed into the floor. We continued staring at the spot where it had stood, confused.

At that moment, Kile woke back up, glancing around confusedly, and our attention was diverted to him. He looked at all of us, then at the leaves on the floor. "What happened, what was it?"

.

Two red eyes surveyed the small yellow and blue figure floating before them. The figure that they were attached to spoke in a voice that echoed around the dark room.

"You know everything, Uxie, or so the legends claim. So tell me where my target is now."

Uxie appeared nervous. "What is your target?"

"The young Mew, the offspring of Deoxys."

Uxie froze. "That one?"

"Do not ask questions. You know the answers already. Now tell me the answer to my question."

Uxie nodded hesitantly and thought for a moment. Then he gulped and took a deep breath before saying, "She is near Floaroma Town."

The red eyes flashed. "That is too far. I located her yesterday at Newmoon Island. There is no way she could have traveled so far in one day. Did you think you could fool me?"

Uxie winced and then disappeared with a flash of light. After a moment of silent contemplation, the remaining figure spoke again.

"Darkrai."

.

Jirachi, Kaden, and I set off a while later, me carrying the Lunar Wing and the finger of the ice creature. I had figured that it was of some importance, so I brought it, too. Before then, though, I had had to explain to Kaden about my decision to let Jirachi come. After some discussion, he had agreed.

And so it was that we set off eastward, traveling toward the point where the path would turn south. Floating through the trees, we tried to avoid bumping them, but a few times we accidentally were covered in snow shaken down from the branches. In any case, soon Kaden and I were shivering with the cold, but Jirachi didn't seem to mind it as much.

Jirachi floated up next to me, the yellow streamers on his back flying out behind him. "What's wrong? You're shivering."

I glanced at him as I tried to warm myself with my breath and fly at the same time. "I'm cold. Aren't you?"

Jirachi glanced around, then back at me. "No."

I stared at him. Then, ahead of us, Kaden bumped into another tree and was knocked out of the air by the resulting snowfall. I glanced ahead just in time to see it, and cried out in alarm. Jirachi also saw, and sped up.

We reached Kaden in a few seconds. His head was sticking out of the snow, and he was starting to turn blue. At least, the parts that weren't already blue. He struggled weakly and then flopped back against the snow.

I started to try to dig him out, but didn't get very far because my paws were freezing. Jirachi didn't appear to have this problem, and after a few seconds he had removed enough snow that Kaden could move again. Kaden shook the snow off, then looked up at Jirachi and smiled weakly.

"Thanks," he said, before his eyes clouded and he fell asleep. Jirachi and I stared in astonishment.

"What now?" Jirachi asked after a few moments.

I watched Kaden worriedly. "He needs to get out of the cold, but there's not much chance of that. And he's too heavy to lift, anyway."

Jirachi put his hands underneath Kaden. "We'll have to try anyway." He began to try to lift my friend, but didn't make any headway, even when I joined him a moment later.

We soon stopped, sitting back in the snow to catch our breath. Then a voice said in my mind from behind me, "Do you need any help?"


	25. Crystal

Chapter 25 – Crystal

**Chapter 25 – Crystal**

Jirachi looked up past me, and I turned to the speaker. To my slight surprise, it was a Froslass, with a purple head that was mostly covered by a helmet of ice, two horns made of ice, and had two yellow and blue eyes. Dangling from the floating head was a limp protrusion resembling a dress, with a red stripe around it and two flaps in the back. Also dangling from either side of the head were two flat, blue and white arms.

The Froslass watched us for a moment longer, then floated closer. "It looks like your friend is cold." The telepathic voice was feminine.

I resisted the urge to ask exactly how that conclusion was reached and instead nodded, turning my head back to Kaden. "How can we help him? There's nowhere warm for miles."

The Froslass lowered toward the ground and reached her arms toward Kaden, as Jirachi and I stepped back to watch in confusion, wondering what she was going to do. She slipped her arms underneath him and then, to our surprise, lifted him into the air effortlessly.

Jirachi and I stared as the Froslass began to carry Kaden away through the trees, calling back to us. "Follow me." Glancing at Jirachi, who shrugged, I started to float after her. Jirachi followed behind me.

Soon we arrived at a small building. It was a cottage, similar to the one on Iron Island, with a few windows that were blocked on the outside by snow. As she approached the front door, the Froslass glanced upward. "It's going to snow soon."

Then she disappeared inside, taking Kaden with her, and Jirachi and I entered a few seconds later.

Once inside, I looked around in surprise. The walls were stark white, and the room was filled with small white beds, most of which were unoccupied. I only saw one that was being used, with a small black and red creature apparently sleeping in it. Only its head was visible, with a small shiny yellow object in its forehead, and one red ear, larger than the other, which was black. I recognized it as a Sneasel, a Pokemon that lives in snowy regions.

The Froslass who had brought us here placed Kaden in one of the beds, then went over to the one containing the Sneasel and took a small brown object lying on top of it before turning toward the other end of the room.

Behind me, Jirachi asked, "What now?"

I turned to see him looking around the room confusedly, like I was. Shrugging, I replied. "I don't know. What is this place?"

Then I heard the Froslass speak in my mind from about midway across the room, and I realized that she must have overheard us. "Sorry, I forgot. My name is Crystal, and this is my hospital."

Turning, I saw Crystal floating in the middle of the room and watching us. I realized that that was what this place was: a hospital. "Your hospital?"

She nodded and turned away. "Yes, I take care of sick Pokemon here. Your friend fits that description now, unfortunately."

I understood that she was talking about Kaden. "He's sick? How?"

Crystal continued to move toward the other side of the room, and I saw that there was a wooden door there. "Just a cold. He'll be fine in a few days."

Behind me, Jirachi exploded, floating forward. "A few days?! We don't have that long!" I moved backward in surprise at the outburst.

Crystal stopped and turned, studying us. "Who are you?"

Jirachi responded. "I'm Jirachi, he's Kaden, and she's Avari," he said, pointing at himself, then Kaden, and finally me.

"It's nice to meet you. But why is it that you cannot wait for a few days?"

Jirachi settled back to the floor, and I noticed that he seemed to droop all of a sudden. "It's a long story."

Crystal nodded and then turned. "You'll be here for a while, it's snowing now. You can tell me after I get the medicine." With that, she opened the door and vanished into it, closing it a moment later.

I floated to Jirachi and sat on the floor next to him. "We can't help it if he's sick."

Jirachi nodded miserably, then turned to look at me, silently pleading as if I could do something about it. "I only have a week, and I don't want to spend it in here." He gestured vaguely around the room. "Or even just in this area. I want to _do_ something, _go_ somewhere."

I tried to think of something to say, and failed. "I'm sorry."

Jirachi glanced at me, then turned to look at the snow-covered window and sighed. "I'm sorry, too, for being so negative. But I wish we weren't stuck in this situation."

Two words seemed to play over and over in my head. _I wish… I wish…_

_I can grant wishes while I'm awake._ My eyes widened as I came to a realization. "Can't you grant your wish?"

Jirachi looked back at me. "No, I can only grant others' wishes."

I thought for a second, then smiled and said, "In that case, I wish Kaden was well again."

Jirachi's expression changed to one of alarm before he began to glow, and my smile disappeared as I thought that I might have done something wrong.


	26. Snowed In

Chapter 26 – Snowed In

**Chapter 26 – Snowed In**

Jirachi glowed brightly as I watched, concerned and confused. The light became brighter gradually, and I had to turn away to keep from being blinded, until finally, after a few seconds, it stopped. I turned back quickly to see Jirachi collapse to the floor facedown.

I floated to him, concerned. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what would happen…" Coming to a stop next to him, I gently rolled him over onto his back, seeing that his eyes were closed, then checked to make sure he was breathing. The second part wasn't too hard, because he was gasping for breath as if he couldn't get enough.

After a moment, Jirachi's eyes opened, and he coughed, trying to sit up. But instead he simply fell back down. Startled, I moved away slightly tried to think of something to do. Jirachi looked around the room confusedly, like he had never been in it before.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. "What happened?"

He turned his head toward me slightly. "So that's what he felt like…" he said weakly, before going limp. I realized what must have happened: Jirachi granted my wish by taking Kaden's illness himself. Glancing at Kaden, still asleep on his bed, I saw that he looked much better and was now sleeping peacefully.

At that moment, I looked up as the door on the far side of the room opened and Crystal reentered, carrying one small wooden bowl in each hand. She saw Jirachi on the floor and her eyes widened. "Not him too!"

I nodded sadly and moved back from Jirachi. She floated over to him, setting the bowls on the floor, which I saw were partially filled with a purple liquid. Inspecting him quickly, she then announced, "He has the same thing your other friend does."

I nodded wordlessly, still trying to think of how to explain it. Crystal picked up Jirachi carefully, then floated over to the nearest vacant bed and set him down in it. After this, she floated back to the wooden bowls and picked them up.

She then went to check on the Sneasel, and after putting one of the bowls next to its bed, she moved to Kaden. As soon as she saw him, she realized what I had. "He isn't sick anymore."

I froze as Crystal turned to me. "What happened here?"

"Well, that's a long story, too." I fidgeted, drawing on the floor with my tail.

Crystal continued to watch me and didn't move. "Please tell."

"Well, Jirachi has the power to grant wishes," I began, gesturing at the aforementioned Pokemon. "And he didn't want to wait, so, well, I wished for Kaden to be better." I gestured slightly at my other friend.

A few awkward moments passed, then Crystal nodded and turned, still holding the bowl of purple fluid. "I see. You should know what they say; be careful what you wish for."

I nodded gloomily. "I know. I didn't want…"

Glancing at me from the corner of her eye, Crystal then said, "At least something good came of it, your other friend is better." Then she turned toward the window, which was blocked up with snow, she added, "But it's snowing hard outside now, so you'll still be here for a day or two. At the least."

I vaguely wondered how she could tell when the windows were all covered with snow. But instead of dwelling on it, I sat on the floor and sighed. "So the only thing that I did was to make my _other_ friend get sick, and it accomplished nothing."

Crystal shrugged, a great accomplishment for a Froslass. "There was no way you could have known what would happen." She then floated over to put the second bowl next to Jirachi. "But you should know that nothing comes free." With that incredibly uplifting statement, she crossed over to the door she had just come out of and went back in it. I was left to feel sorry for myself.

Kaden soon woke up, and over the course of the rest of the day, we generally stayed inside of the cabin. Jirachi or the Sneasel woke a few times, but never for long. I managed to learn that the Sneasel's name was Keane, and he had been found by Crystal a few days ago, alone and with a fever. Once, I tried to open the door leading outside, but it wouldn't move, making me realize that what Crystal said about the depth of the snow might be true.

Kaden simply spent the time trying to cheer me up, since I was still feeling bad about my wish. Eventually, after Crystal told me to brighten up before I made myself sick as well, I started making an effort to act more cheerful. But that still didn't change how I felt, though it made everyone else happier.

After a while, we all ate some food that Crystal kept inside the cabin, which was pretty much some berries and roots, and a few human foods as well. She didn't eat anything, though, explaining that the food was for the patients and occasional guest.

After the meal, which Kaden claimed was delicious but which I didn't really taste, we spent several more hours doing basically nothing. In other words, I worried over Jirachi while at the same time acting like I was happy, Kaden tried to talk to me, and Crystal, our host, simply appeared occasionally to tend to the patients.

Needless to say, it was a very long day.

.

"I have planted a tracker on the target, sir."

"Good. Where is it now?"

"The northern part of Route 217, sir, near Lake Acuity."

"So she didn't get very far after all… You are dismissed."

A figure stood in the shadows of the room, the only features that could be seen two red eyes. After a few moments, its voice echoed around the dark room. "Darkrai, come. What is your report?"

A shadowy apparition appeared in the room opposite the figure, one cold blue eye visible. "I was unable to find the target."

"That was expected. I now know the whereabouts of the target, though, so I have another job for you…"


	27. Sickness

Chapter 27 – Sickness

**Chapter 27 – Sickness**

Nighttime soon came, and Kaden and I went to sleep. At least, I tried to. I had a hard time falling asleep, but after a while I finally did.

The next morning, after we were awake again and had eaten something, Keane, the Sneasel, woke up. Crystal came and declared that he was well again, but that he should still rest for a while.

Only a few minutes later, Jirachi woke, but he simply looked around confusedly and asked things that made no sense. Crystal felt his forehead and found that he had a fever. This only made me feel worse, because I knew that I had made him sick.

I stayed next to Jirachi for the entire day. On one occasion, Kaden told me, "Avari, sitting there all day won't help."

I sighed and looked back at him, hovering a few feet behind me. "I know, but what else is there to do anyway? Crystal says it's still snowing, so we can't go out, and we can't leave Jirachi."

Kaden moved next to me. "Why do you feel guilty? It's not like you could have known what would happen. And besides, it made me better."

"If you have a point, please get to it." My tail twitched behind me.

Kaden looked up at me with his red eyes. "You care about Jirachi more than me." There was no emotion in this statement, it was simply an observation.

I realized where he was going and reddened, looking away. "No, that's not true…"

"Yes, it is. Don't worry, I'm not offended."

"Stop. Just leave me alone." I floated away, to sulk on the other side of Jirachi's bed.

Kaden left me alone after that, but I pondered his words. Was it true? I didn't know. Nevertheless, the day passed slowly. By the late afternoon, Jirachi was doing better, and wasn't as delirious anymore.

I was absently trying to find a clear space on the window, so I could check if it was snowing, when he called my name in telepathy. "Avari."

I looked back at him, startled. "Yes?"

Jirachi was trying to sit up, but not succeeding. I quickly floated over to him. "Don't, just stay there."

He weakly fell back down. "Two days."

I blinked. "Two days?"

"I've been here two days…"

I realized that he only had five days left. "Oh."

Jirachi smiled. "You'll remember me when I go back to sleep, right?" His eyes closed as he took a deep breath, then opened again as he coughed and shuddered. "Ow, my head hurts…"

My vision was obscured by tears momentarily before I blinked to clear them away. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Thank you… Avari, I…" His thoughts trailed off.

"Yes?" I prompted.

After a moment, Jirachi turned over, facing the other way. "Never mind…"

Confused, I decided not to ask and left him alone.

That night, no one slept very much. Jirachi refused to go back to sleep, saying he'd had enough in the last thousand years. I didn't really blame him, but it did keep everyone else awake.

Nevertheless, by the morning, his fever faded, and he fell back asleep. I decided to follow this example, curling up on one of the vacant beds, as did everyone else except for Crystal. She didn't appear to need to sleep.

Throughout that day, Jirachi gradually recovered. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Crystal insisted that he stay until he was completely well, since he was still tired. He still refused to sleep, however, even when night came again.

I had just started to fall asleep when Jirachi called to me telepathically, like the day before. "Avari."

I snapped awake, tail twitching irritably. But I didn't show my annoyance other than that; I figured that it was my fault he was in the mess he was in, so I deserved it. "What is it?"

I couldn't see anything through the darkness of the room, but I could hear him in my head. "I have only four days left."

I felt a stab of guilt. "I'm sorry. I should have thought…"

"If it had been Kaden who was sick and not me, we would still have had to wait."

"But still…"

"I won't go back to sleep."

"What?"

I caught a motion from the darkness where I figured Jirachi was. "I've decided that I won't. I'll fight it, no matter what."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to help me. Please…"

After a moment, I answered. "All right. But how? What will happen?"

I felt Jirachi's sadness in his "voice". "When the time comes, I'll get really tired. Help me stay awake, because once I fall asleep, that's it… I know I'll just be delaying it, but still." I heard a sigh.

"I'm sorry." I felt bad for him, but I wasn't sure how much I could do…

"Don't be." A few seconds later, he spoke in my mind again. "There's something else you need to know."

"What?"

"When you make a wish, I will grant it. I have to. But I can't do impossible things. That's why I had to… take the illness. It had to go somewhere, and I chose myself."

I felt another stab of guilt, then I realized something. "You could have given it to me."

"No. I could have, but I didn't. And I won't do it to you if something like this comes up again. Never."

Surprised at the vehemence in this statement, I asked, "Why?"

Jirachi paused for a second before answering. "Just because. Never mind."

We were silent after that, and soon I dropped off into sleep.


	28. Preparations

Chapter 28 – Preparations

**Chapter 28 – Preparations**

The next morning, once I woke up, I was happy to find Jirachi sleeping. It wasn't until after four more days that harm lay in that, after all. Uncurling and stretching, I yawned and rose from the bed where I had taken up residence.

Kaden, who was already awake, greeted me from the bed he was still sitting on. "Good morning."

I glanced at Jirachi, then back at him before replying, "I hope it's better than the last two."

Kaden nodded. "Me, too."

A minute later, Keane woke up and glanced at us, before getting up to pace the room ceaselessly like he had been doing the past two days.

Some time later, Crystal entered through the door that I had come to figure led to another room of the cabin. She carried with her a bowl and some berries. Setting down the bowl, which was filled halfway with a blue liquid, next to Jirachi, she then floated over to Kaden, Keane, and me and gave each of us a few berries.

"Good morning. The snow stopped last night, so I expect you'll be leaving today," she said to us as we started to eat. Kaden and I stopped and looked up at her.

"Today?" I asked, confused. I glanced over at Jirachi, who was still sleeping peacefully.

Crystal nodded and gestured at him. "He has recovered mostly. Normally I would keep him for another day or so, but you all seemed anxious to be gone, and he really has made a remarkable recovery. However, he is still weak, and must not be exposed to the cold or any stress for a few days."

I thought for a moment. The cold shouldn't be a problem, but he was still weakened… And then, on the other hand, there was his time limit of one week, now shortened to four days. I winced as I realized this, and made up my mind. "Alright."

Crystal nodded again and went back through the door she had come from. As soon as she was gone, Kaden asked me, "Are you sure about this? It could be bad if he got sick again, and we weren't near anywhere we could get help."

I glanced at Jirachi for a moment, then turned my gaze back to Kaden. "No, I'm not. But we've already spent three days here, and he only has four more left. He can't just stay here until he goes into hibernation again."

Kaden looked worried. "I know, but you seem to…" He trailed off, glancing at me sharply. "Never mind. Fine, you're the leader and all that, so whatever you want."

I became confused. "I seem to what? What's wrong, Kaden?"

He suddenly became interested in his berries. "Nothing."

"Tell me."

"You'll find out yourself."

"How?" My tail began swishing irritably.

Kaden noticed my tail, and apparently took that as a warning sign, for he became nervous. "…I shouldn't have said anything." Eyeing my tail as it began to twitch faster, he then took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm just worried that if something happens to Jirachi, you'll be hurt, too."

My tail stopped as I considered that, puzzled. "How?"

"I don't mean physically, I mean… emotionally."

Before I could ask what he was implying, Jirachi groaned and sat up, causing my attention to be diverted to him. He grabbed his head and shook it, then opened his eyes and glanced around wearily. "Ow. Hi."

I floated over to the foot of his bed. "Are you feeling better?"

He blinked and then nodded. "Yes." Then his eyes suddenly widened. "Three days!" He floated up and headed for the door as Kaden and I watched, puzzled. Turning to us, he then asked, "Are you coming?"

I glanced at Kaden, who shrugged, before I turned back to the yellow and white Pokemon. "We don't have to leave just yet… And besides, that's the wrong door."

Jirachi blinked and glanced at the aforementioned door, then lowered to the floor and grinned sheepishly. "I knew that."

That was when the door behind him opened, hitting him and knocking him to the floor with a cry of dismay. Crystal emerged and glanced at him in surprise. "Sorry."

Rising shakily from the floor, Jirachi floated to a bed and sat on it, wincing slightly. "Ow."

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned. I floated over to sit next to him.

He nodded. "Yes." Then he winced. "Ow. I'm okay."

Crystal closed the door and floated closer to us. "I'm sorry. I should have checked before opening it."

"No, I'm fine, I was just being stupid. It was my fault."

Crystal paused for a moment, then showed us the objects she held in her hands. They were composed of a long stick with a flat metal part attached to one end. "In any case, the snow is very deep. You'll have to dig to get out."

Again I wondered how she knew this, when the windows were blocked by snow. Taking one of the objects, which I recognized as a human's shovel, I looked at it curiously. "How does it work?"

She gave one to Kaden, and then floated over to give one to Keane, who had been pacing restlessly in a corner the entire time. Both of them also looked at it, puzzled. Then Crystal answered. Sort of. "It's used for digging."

"I know that. How does it work?" My tail twitched slightly.

Crystal appeared to think for a moment. "They were made by humans, so they're designed for humans, but they could still work… You hold the stick, and get the metal part under the snow, and just lift. Here, I'll show you."

She then went to the door leading outside, turned the handle, and pushed. Nothing happened. Frowning, she placed both hands on the door and pushed harder, but it still wouldn't open. Finally, she opened her mouth and fired a blue beam of light at the offending door, causing it to shatter and allowing snow to pour into the cabin.

Jirachi, Kaden, and I stared. Even Keane looked up and stopped pacing. Crystal turned back to us and smiled. "There." She then disappeared into the door on the other side of the cabin, muttering, "Now I have to replace it again…"

Everyone blinked, staring after her. Then I looked back at the doorway, through which nothing was visible but snow. "Now what?"

Kaden raised his shovel and floated to the doorway that was now devoid of a door. "I guess we start digging."


	29. Articuno

Chapter 29 – Articuno

**Chapter 29 – Articuno**

We quickly gulped down our breakfast, then, with Crystal's help, began to dig. Jirachi wanted to help, but Crystal refused to let him, saying that he wasn't strong enough yet.

After about an hour of digging with no sign of breaking through the wall of snow beyond the empty doorway, I finally collapsed, exhausted. "We'll never make it through."

Kaden sank to the floor beside me, dropping his shovel and then rubbing his claws together. "I can't feel my arms."

Crystal stopped digging, then floated back slightly. "We're almost through." She was showing no signs of fatigue, surprisingly.

Keane paused for a moment, studying the snow, then suddenly struck out with one sharp claw, creating a hole that allowed sunlight to flood in without being muffled by the snow. We stared in astonishment.

"The snow hardened into ice on the outside," Crystal told us. "You won't be able to dig anymore, so just try to break it."

Soon we had made a hole in the ice large enough for even Kaden to fit through. He squeezed through it and disappeared for a moment, then his head reappeared. "Come on."

I floated through next, emerging into a snow-covered landscape, with lots of trees. After I was clear, Jirachi joined us, and after him came Keane, who immediately ran away between the trees and disappeared. Crystal then floated through to see us off.

"Thank you, Crystal," Jirachi thanked her as we began to move off. She simply smiled.

"It's my job," she said, waving once before going back inside. We waved, knowing that she could see through the snow, then set off toward the southeast.

.

Deoxys opened his eyes, and then let out a telepathic scream as agonizing pain came from his top left tentacle. Instinctively grabbing at it with his other tentacles, which were formed into a hand-like protrusion, he discovered to his dismay that it was gone. Bracing himself against the pain, he felt his shoulder and found the stump where it had been. As soon as he touched it, though, he flinched and pulled his hand away.

Glancing around to try to find something to distract himself from the pain, Deoxys found that he was on the floor of a small, dark room. The walls, ceiling and floor were completely bare.

Supporting himself with his right arm, he sat up, wincing. Then he glanced at his hand and realized that it was wet with a dark purple liquid. Wiping it off and looking around again, he tried to figure out where he was, but could tell nothing from the blank grayness that made up his prison. There didn't even appear to be a door, and had he not been in excruciating pain, Deoxys would have wondered how he got in.

Then a voice spoke from the gloom around him, though he couldn't tell where it came from. "You finally decided to wake up."

Deoxys answered telepathically, cringing as pain suddenly shot through his shoulder. "Who… are you?"

"You have been unconscious for four days." Deoxys's eyes widened in surprise.

"Argh… Four days…?" He applied slight pressure to his shoulder to try to stop it from bleeding.

"Yes. I am surprised that you are still alive; it has been one day since your arm was amputated. You were only expected to live for a few hours after that, but you surprised me."

Deoxys glared around at the shadows. "Who are you…? Why did you… do this?" He winced as more pain erupted in his shoulder.

"Who I am is of no importance to you, since you'll be dead soon anyway. Although, you should know that your arm is being put to good use. Your body has remarkable healing functions; it can even form a new body from any part that is cut off, when kept under the right conditions."

Deoxys realized what was happening and paled. "You can't!... I…"

"With an army of Deoxys, we will be unstoppable. And as an added bonus, they all will look exactly like you, fooling anyone… even your own offspring."

Deoxys's eyes widened as he paled further. "No!" He looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice.

The laughter came from all around him. "It will take time, but in a few years they will grow to completion. But luckily I already have one, which I started growing six years ago… Both Mew will be destroyed in one fell swoop."

The laughter came again, and Deoxys glared at the walls of his prison angrily. As the laughter faded, he suddenly became weak, collapsing back to the floor helplessly. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a movement, and he turned his head to see a large machine rolling toward him, aiming a long metal object.

Deoxys stared at it weakly, still holding his shoulder. Another long, metal implement unfolded from the side of the machine, and Deoxys saw to his horror that it was flat and had a serrated edge.

A small object flew from the machine at him, striking him in the arm. Instantly, Deoxys felt even weaker than before, falling limp to the floor of his prison and unable to feel anything.

As his vision faded, he saw the machine roll closer, brandishing the serrated metal object. Deoxys's last thought was, _Avari…_ Then he was enveloped in darkness.

.

I finally broke free from the trees and into the open path. Behind me, Kaden and Jirachi also emerged. Glancing around, I pointed to what I determined was south, toward Mount Coronet.

"I think it's that way," I said, turning back to my companions.

Kaden shook some snow off himself, then looked around as well. After a moment, he pointed in a different direction. "Actually, I think that's south."

I glanced confusedly at the snow and trees around me. "I thought for sure…"

Jirachi shrugged, looking around worriedly. "I don't know, but _I_ think we're lost."

I was trying to remember from which direction the sun had risen that morning, before I realized that I didn't know. "I think we are, too."

Kaden sighed resignedly. "We'll have to just try a random direction, and see if we get to a landmark. The forest starts again on the other side, right?"

I nodded thoughtfully. "But we'll still have to figure out which direction is south…"

Then I was knocked to the snow and forced to close my eyes as a gale blew down from above me. I heard Kaden cry out in surprise in my mind.

The wind stopped and started alternately very quickly, which I figured was not natural behavior for wind. At least, not very common behavior. After a few moments, the gale finally stopped for good, and I reopened my eyes.

Before me, settling onto the snow, was a large bird-like Pokemon, over four times my size. It was almost completely blue, though the feathers on its chest and stomach were lighter in color and its talons and short beak were gray. On its head were three large crest feathers, and trailing behind it was a long blue tail.

It looked at us through two red eyes, then opened its beak and began to sing. There were no words, though I thought it sounded like it was trying to tell us something. I didn't understand, obviously, though I thought I did recognize the Pokemon from descriptions from my parents.

Jirachi floated forward, keeping his eyes on it. "What is that?"  
"I think my parents called it Articuno," I said. Kaden then moved forward to join us. He nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, this looks like it."

"Is it friendly?" Jirachi asked. I nodded.

"Yes. But how do we communicate with it…?" My eyes glowed, and I reached out to the bird Pokemon with my mind. Once my mind connected to its, I heard its thoughts.

_They don't understand me_, it was thinking. _What now? I don't know what…_ Then it sensed my connection, and I spoke to it.

"Are you Articuno?"

After a moment, the bird opened its beak and began singing again. I quickly said into its mind, "Think your answer, I'll hear."

A few moments later, I heard its thoughts again. _I see, you are psychic._

"Yes," I answered. "Why are you here?"

_I am Articuno, yes. I was sent to help you._

"How?"

_I'm to take you to the island to the northeast. You apparently have something to do there._

I thought about that for a moment, then responded. "I was going home, but that's south… Who sent you?"

_Someone you should listen to._

I became puzzled, but after a moment, I accepted. "All right, then. Thank you." I then broke the contact and turned to my friends, who were watching me somewhat confusedly. "There's a change of plans."


	30. Heights

Chapter 30 – Heights

**Chapter 30 – Heights**

I couldn't see anything. This was because my eyes were tightly closed as I hung onto Jirachi, who was in turn hanging onto Articuno's neck. I had just discovered that I was afraid of heights, after taking off, of course.

"Ow, I can't breathe," Jirachi complained in my mind, and I realized how hard I was squeezing him and loosened my grip. Opening one eye slightly, I glanced down and saw snow-covered treetops far below. I instantly shut my eye again.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"What's wrong?" Kaden asked from my right. I didn't dare to open my eyes.

"I think she's afraid of heights," Jirachi told him.

"Heights _and_ the dark?"

"The dark too? That's news."

"Stop it!" I protested. "I can't help it." I barely managed to say this, because I was concentrating on not thinking about what would happen if I fell. Of course, this only made me think about it more.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Jirachi conceded. Then he spoke again, sounding slightly strained. "Avari, I can't breathe again."

I relaxed my hold and apologized again. "Sorry."

"This was your idea, Avari," Kaden noted.

My tail twitched. "I didn't know what it was like to fly before."

"But you fly all the time."

"Not this high."

"Oh. Well, it was still your idea."

"Why did you agree to this?" Jirachi asked, cutting off my angry response.

I calmed down, thinking about it. "I had a dream about three days ago, actually it was right before you woke up. I didn't remember it until now. Although, I still only remember a few parts."

"What was it?"

I tried to remember, glad for something to distract me from my fear. "There were these eyes, and they said to find three to find one or something. But then they said not to return until I had done it. And in my dream, I was back home. So maybe I'm not supposed to go home until I find these three and the one. But it could have just been a random dream, though I'm not completely sure."

Jirachi's voice carried mild curiosity. "Do you remember what these eyes looked like?"

I concentrated on the memory. "Sort of. They were green and red."

Instantly, I felt surprise radiate from Jirachi's mind. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

After a moment, Jirachi replied. "Nothing. But I think you're right, we should do what it said."

Kaden suddenly asked, "Do you recognize them, Jirachi?"

Jirachi became suddenly nervous. "Sort of. I mean, yes…"

Curious, I asked, "Whose eyes are they?"

"It's nothing, never mind," he answered evasively.

No matter how much I asked him after that, he refused to tell me, so I gave up. Instead, I tried not to think about how long the flight would last or the fact that I was hugging Jirachi.

.

Deoxys woke, to feel agonizing pain from all over his body. Then he tried to open his eyes, and realized that they wouldn't open. After a moment, he realized with horror that though he was in pain, he couldn't feel _anything_. Not other than his core, which served as his brain.

Panicking, Deoxys tried to move something, anything to tell him that there was something there. But soon he realized the truth: All that remained of him was his core.

Unable to use any of his senses, Deoxys raged helplessly at whoever had done this. After a minute, the pain had been replaced mostly with a numbing sensation, and he was able to think more clearly.

_Who are they? The one who talked to me before mentioned a copy of me grown from six years ago… What happened then?_ Trying to remember, he realized that his thoughts were still muddled.

Then a telepathic voice reached him. "You are still alive, though almost nothing of you remains?"

"Who are you?" Deoxys asked angrily.

A few moments later, the same telepathic voice responded. "I am grown from you. My name is Deoxytwo."

"You're a copy of me? What do you want?"

"I'm simply curious. Who are you? I want to know my background."

"Why would you care? You're only a fake."

When the voice responded, Deoxys was surprised to sense hurt in it. "I know that. But I want to know who you are, before I become you."

"Become me?"

"Once you die, I will be you."

"No."

"You have to know that. You cannot survive for much longer in your present state."

"How did you defeat me if you're grown from me?"

"Some modifications were made to me. I am stronger than you."

"Of course, because you can't win without help." Deoxys became angry at this creature that would imitate him, capture him, and then dare to try to talk to him even while he was in this condition. "You're a pathetic copy. Go away."

"Very well, then. You should know, I really was expecting you to be more of a challenge than you were." With that, the contact withdrew, and Deoxys was left to himself.

Realizing that he really would likely die soon and becoming depressed by the thought, he then wondered, _Why did they keep me alive after all this?_

_I hope Avari can tell the difference between the real me and a fake…_


	31. Landing

Chapter 31 – Landing

**Chapter 31 – Landing**

Deoxys telepathically screamed as pain slashed through him. _Even now, they won't leave me alone!_

He felt another impact, but was unable to do anything about it. Instead he simply braced himself and tried to tolerate it.

There were more impacts, and Deoxys's thinking became scrambled. Soon he was unable to even form a coherent thought, and he became numb to the pain. Slowly the feelings faded, and through his muddled thinking Deoxys wondered if they had finally decided to kill him, and if he was dying.

Then Deoxys felt himself heat up. He screamed again as the burning feeling spread through him, bringing with it more pain. But after a while, the pain stopped, and the heat became less intense, until it actually became comforting to him.

The heat continued for an undeterminable length of time, until Deoxys began to feel drowsy, and he lost all feeling.

.

In a dark room, on a pedestal in the center, was a large transparent box. In it was a small purple gem, which was currently glowing as a laser poured from a device in the ceiling into it. Slowly the small scratch marks that were evident on the surface of the gem faded and disappeared.

"It works; we found the right frequency." The voice was flat and unemotional.

"We may be able to use this for the others," said another figure, equally unemotional. Both figures were watching the gem and the laser from the shadows at the edges of the room.

"Will it work if there is no brain? This brain appears to be the part that absorbs the laser, yet it also contains the consciousness of the creature."

"Once they develop brains, we may be able to use this technique to speed the process. But you're right, it does not appear to work for any other parts of the creature."

As this was being said, a black object began to grow from the gem, surrounding it on one side.

A third figure also watched, unknown to the other two. It mused to itself from the shadows. _I heard the screams, the pain. Is it my place to do that to anyone? But it is for a good cause. That was what they said, and so I believe._

Having appeased its conscience, the third figure glowed and disappeared.

.

My stomach dropped, and I screamed.

"Don't worry, we're landing now," Jirachi told me, trying to calm me. It didn't work. I squeezed him harder, afraid to look.

After a few minutes of pure terror, I felt a bump, and then I began to fall. My eyes snapped open and I screamed again, before I hit the ground, roughly five feet down.

I laid on the ground, stunned, until I heard Jirachi say to me in my mind, "Avari, you can let go of me now."

Realizing that I still had my arms around him, I quickly let go, and he floated off of me, gasping for breath. Sitting up and studying my surroundings to try to keep him from noticing how red my face was, I saw that we were in the middle of a grassy field, lined with trees.

Kaden landed next to me, and I jumped, still shaken by my flying experience. I realized who he was and took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Ow, I think you broke my ribs," Jirachi complained, floating over to us.

"I'm sorry." I blushed and looked away.

Kaden noticed, though. He grinned. "Are you sure you were squeezing so hard just because you were afraid of heights?"

I shot a death glare at him, my tail beginning to twitch. "Shut up."

He continued grinning. "I rest my case."

"No. _Shut up_." My tail began to whip furiously behind me.

Then Jirachi asked, "What's wrong, Avari?" I glanced at him, seeing him eye my tail. I realized that Kaden had spoken only to me, though Jirachi had probably heard what I said. So maybe I didn't have to kill Kaden just yet.

"Nothing," I answered, shaking my head. Then I shot another glare at Kaden and turned my attention to Articuno, who was watching us from a few feet away.

Contacting her with my mind, I said, "Thank you."

_You're welcome. I was only doing my job. Good-bye._ Articuno spread her wings, flapped them several times, and lifted off into the sky. We watched as she disappeared in the distance, her blue form blending with that of the sky.

As soon as Articuno was gone, I turned my attention back to my two traveling companions. For a moment, I mentally debated which to address, since I didn't want to talk to Kaden just then, but if I addressed Jirachi, Kaden would make fun of me. So I simply asked both. "Where are we?"

Kaden glanced around thoughtfully. "We're on that big island to the northeast, in the southeast part. I think I saw a human settlement that way." He gestured to my right.

"Do we want to go to a human settlement?" Jirachi asked doubtfully. "What are we looking for, anyway?" They both turned to me inquisitively.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe we should start with the human settlement."

Turning in the direction he had indicated, Kaden also shrugged. "Alright, you're the leader."

I glared at him as we began to float off toward the settlement. "And don't forget that."

As we traveled, the sun began to slowly sink toward the horizon, dyeing the sky orange. At one point, I noticed Jirachi glance up at it and sigh. I knew what he was feeling.

His fourth day had ended.

.

Groaning inwardly, Deoxys opened his eyes. Looking around wearily, he saw that he was lying on his back in a small transparent box. It was in a small room filled with various machinery and blinking monitors and lights.

Then he realized something. _I can see!_

Sitting up and glancing down, Deoxys saw that his entire body was back. He felt stiff and tired, but there was no pain. _How did this happen? And why?_

Then a voice said, "You really do have remarkable healing processes. Complete regeneration, in only three hours."

Deoxys looked around suspiciously. "Where are you?" He recognized the voice as the same one that had spoken to him in the small grey prison.

"I'm in another part of this building. I'm simply speaking through a speaker." There was a short laugh. "I suppose that's what they're named for."

"How can you hear my telepathy?"

"I have other machines for that. In any case, as I was saying, your healing processes are fascinating. Especially when the core is exposed to light of the correct frequency, for when this happens the process speeds up by hundreds of times. This will allow me to create more copies in record time. The first took roughly two years; the new models will take only a few weeks."

Deoxys glared around at the various machines in the room. His eyes glowed, but then he became dizzy and fell to the transparent, smooth floor of his prison. The voice laughed.

"You cannot escape, don't even try."

Deoxys grabbed his head to try to stop the room from spinning, then once he was reoriented he glared at the transparent walls around him. "Oh, really?" He formed his tentacles into a hand on each side of his body, then curled them into fists and drew them back.

Deoxys swung as hard as he could. As he did this, there was a small snicker, but he didn't have time to rethink his actions before his fists connected with the walls.

Instantly, an electric shock threw Deoxys backward, causing him to scream in pain as his body lit up. He collapsed to the floor, writhing as energy crackled across his skin. After several moments, the pain faded, leaving him lying limp on the transparent surface.

There was another laugh as Deoxys weakly looked up and tried to rise. Instead, he collapsed back to the floor wearily.

"You see what happens?" the voice taunted. "You cannot escape."

"What… What do you want… from me?" Deoxys barely managed to say.

"That depends."

"On… what?"

"On whether you accept my offer of siding with me or not. I would not normally make that offer to you, since I have plenty of copies of you, but I'm in a good mood right now. Join me, and help us to remake the world."

Deoxys shook his head wearily. "No."

"That's your choice, then. Since you won't join me, I suppose I'll have to use you for spare parts."

Deoxys glanced around the room nervously as the machines began to whir. He braced himself for whatever would happen.

"Oh, by the way," the voice suddenly said, "A certain small Mew was found today by a scout. It was destroyed."

Deoxys blinked in shock as he absorbed this information, then collapsed, tears forming in his eyes. "_No!_"

"Yes, I'm afraid. Don't worry, you'll be dead soon, too."

Deoxys was past caring as the box opened, permitting the machines to enter.


	32. Sand

Chapter 32 – Sand

**Chapter 32 – Sand**

The grass before us quickly gave way to rocky ground and sand. After a while of flying over a path composed of rock, sand, and dirt, I began to doubt that we were going the right way.

"Are you sure this is the way?" I asked Kaden, who glanced around uneasily.

"No," he conceded, sighing. "I think this is the opposite way. I'm sorry."

I stared at him. "What?!"

Jirachi interrupted. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but look over there." He gestured toward a point in the distance, looking worried.

Kaden and I both turned to look at what he was indicating, and saw what appeared to be a low brown cloud moving toward us. "What is that?" I asked nervously as it quickly came closer.

"It's sand." I immediately realized what it was when Jirachi said this.

"A sandstorm," Kaden said, voicing my thoughts.

Jirachi nodded worriedly, turning back to us. "We need to find shelter."

Glancing around, I saw only rocks and sand. The fact that the sunlight was nearly gone didn't help my vision. "I don't see anything."

Kaden suddenly pointed at something to my left. "Look, it's a human's house." Jirachi and I glanced at him before turning to see what he was pointing to.

Sure enough, it was a cabin, made of wood, built on a rock formation that was slightly higher than the land under us. There was no paint on it, and only one window was visible. I studied it for a moment, trying to decide if it was worth the risk of meeting possibly hostile humans.

One glance at the cloud of sand, which was almost upon us, decided me. "Okay, let's stay there." Jirachi and Kaden nodded, and we started toward it.

By the time we reached it, the sandstorm had reached _us_. The sand began to swirl around us as we searched frantically for a way inside. I blinked as a grain of sand got in my eye, then declared despondently, "It's all locked up. There's no way in." We didn't even have the benefit of a chimney this time.

"Keep looking," Jirachi told me. "We don't have time to find another shelter."

I sighed, then nodded worriedly and continued my search.

Over the course of the next few minutes, the sandstorm gained strength, until finally I had to close my eyes against the onslaught of tiny particles. "I can't see."

I heard Kaden's voice in my mind. "I can't either. We'll have to just wait until it ends."

Then Jirachi's voice said, "No, we would be buried. Hold on, I'll try something."

After a minute, I vaguely heard a muffled click, and then something touched my arm a few moments later. Recognizing Jirachi's touch, I followed blindly as he led me through the air, until after a moment the feeling of sand blowing against my skin stopped.

Jirachi said, "Stay here, I'll go get Kaden." Then he let go, and I opened my eyes, blinking sand out of them. After coughing out some sand I had accidentally inhaled, I glanced around.

I was inside of a small room that was dominated by two large bookcases, with books scattered across the floor and a large table to one side. In one corner, there was a desk with a chair and a computer, and near them was another door besides the one we had seen on the outside. Turning, I saw that one window behind me was open, and sand was blowing in through it, to settle on the floor.

Then Jirachi floated in through that window, leading Kaden by the arm as he had me. Both of their eyes were closed, making me wonder how Jirachi had found his way through the storm, until I saw something that I had never noticed before.

In the center of Jirachi's stomach was an _eye_. It was yellow on the outsides, with a blue iris and a small black pupil. It was much larger than his other two eyes, and it was wide open. I wondered how I had missed it before, and where it had come from.

Once they were inside, Jirachi turned and closed the window, sealing us off from the sandstorm outside. Then he turned back, and both he and Kaden opened their eyes to look around the room.

Jirachi saw me and, realizing what I was staring at, glanced downward as the eye on his stomach closed and disappeared. I realized my mistake and looked away, apologizing. "Sorry."

Jirachi lowered to the floor and sat on it. "No, I know it looks weird. That's why I didn't tell you about it before. It can see through things, and do other things like that. I had to use it to see through the sand."

"Oh." I thought about that, noticing Kaden watch us with interest. Then I said impulsively, "I think it's sort of cute." After a moment, I realized what I said and reddened, mortified. Jirachi and, unfortunately, Kaden saw this reaction. Jirachi turned red as Kaden sniggered and floated away to the other side of the room.

Now, it was Jirachi's turn to say, "Oh." I noticed the eye on his stomach blink briefly and then close again.

After a moment of awkward silence, I said, "Thank you, then. For saving us."

Jirachi blinked, then replied, "You're welcome."

At that moment, the door near the desk opened, and a human entered the room through it. We all turned to stare in surprise. It was a man, and he appeared to be very old, because he had no hair on the top of his head and his beard was white. He was wearing blue clothes, and his skin was slightly darker than that of most other humans I had seen.

As soon as he came through the door, he turned to stare at us. I noticed that his eyes were grey and still alert despite his age. I backed away from him apprehensively, realizing that we were probably inside this human's house. I knew how they could be about that.

"I would have preferred that you knocked, but I suppose you can stay now that you're inside," he said, shrugging. Then he turned his gaze back to us. "You can understand me, correct? Most Pokemon can, but some don't."

After a moment, Kaden answered hesitantly. "Yes, we can understand you."

The old man glanced at him, then smiled. "Oh, so you can answer back, too. Don't worry, I get a lot of Pokemon and occasionally trainers in here to take shelter from the sandstorms. I don't mind." Then he glanced at the sand under the window and frowned.

"How did you get in, anyway?" He walked to the aforementioned window and studied it.

"We…" I started to answer, before realizing that I didn't know. I turned to Jirachi questioningly.

He shrugged, the eye on his stomach opening as he gestured to it. "I saw that there was a spot that if pushed, would make the window open."

Then, a muffled knocking was heard on the other side of the door leading outside.


	33. Stories

Chapter 33 – Stories

**Chapter 33 – Stories**

A dark figure materialized, one blue eye visible. In its claws it held a limp red, blue, purple and white form. It placed it on the ground before the other figure that stared with glowing red eyes.

"Wake it up." The command echoed around the dark room.

Darkrai tapped the smaller creature's head with one claw, rewarded when it woke, groaning. Floating upright and glancing around through yellow and blue eyes, Crystal became alert immediately upon realizing the situation.

"Darkrai, you are dismissed for now."

Darkrai nodded and faded away, leaving Crystal to back away apprehensively from the staring red eyes while wondering what she had done to get into this situation.

"I understand that you have had some guests for the past few days."

Crystal thought nervously for a moment. _What should I say?_ She felt she knew too well what this other figure was talking about. After a moment, deciding that they already knew anyway, she nodded. "Yes."

"So it is true, then." Crystal froze, realizing that she had been tricked. Then the voice went on, "Describe them."

"No." The word was defiant but also apprehensive. As the glowing red eyes flashed angrily, Crystal flinched and began glancing around the room for a way out. _There is no door_, she realized after a moment.

"I did not ask you to. I ordered you, Froslass."

"My name is Crystal. And no."

After several moments, the voice spoke again. "Very well, then. Let me show you exactly what happens to those who defy me."

Crystal flinched, expecting to be attacked or something similar. But instead, there was a sliding noise as a panel opened in the wall to her left, then a thump as something fell to the floor, and then another sliding noise as the panel slid shut before she could react. She stared apprehensively at the small figure on the floor next to her.

After a moment, it rose off the floor, floating next to her, and appeared to glance around, though no eyes were visible. After a moment, it sighed wearily and spoke telepathically.

"I'll tell you now. They are at…" Here Uxie took a breath as he prepared to lie again.

"I do not need to know that now," the echoing voice said, cutting him off. "I know where the target is. Tell me, Uxie, where the target is heading currently." Crystal's eyes widened at the mention of Uxie's name, and she studied the creature floating next to her intently.

Uxie turned his head slightly toward her, then turned back to the red eyes that were watching him. He sighed resignedly. "Stark Mountain."

The shadowed figure with the red eyes was silent for several moments, while Uxie held his breath. Then the voice spoke again. "Very well. We will send scouts to Stark Mountain, and if the target does not arrive, then your punishment will be resumed."

Uxie fell to the floor in relief. But then he gulped as he realized that his torture would start again as soon as it was discovered that Avari wasn't actually going to Stark Mountain.

Crystal watched him apprehensively. What could have done this to the legendary Being of Knowledge…? Then she stiffened as the eyes turned to her.

"Will you tell me what I wish to know now?"

Crystal noticed out of the corner of her eye that Uxie was shaking his head furiously in her direction, and she swallowed nervously. "Well…"

Then, in a last ditch effort, Uxie opened his eyes, staring right into Crystal's, and she suddenly became weak, collapsing to the ground as the world went white.

.

All eyes turned to the door. The old man quickly rushed to it and threw it open, allowing sand and another figure to enter the room. As soon as the newcomer was inside, the man closed the door, stopping the torrent of sand.

The newcomer was a human, about eighteen or nineteen years old by my reckoning. He had wild black hair and light skin color, and was wearing a dark blue jacket and blue jeans. Oh his back was a yellow backpack.

He collapsed to the floor, then glanced at the old man, who was watching in concern. "Thanks."

"You should not be out in a sandstorm. What were you doing?"

The newcomer shrugged. "Training."

"You are a Pokemon trainer? What were you doing in the sandstorm?"

"I am a Pokemon trainer. It's good experience for my Pokemon to train in sandstorms, you never know when you might have to fight in one." Then he glanced around the room, the gaze of his brown eyes finally coming to rest on us. He stood up in surprise.

"Mew! What are you doing here?"

I watched confusedly. After a moment, the trainer then frowned and said, "No, wait, you don't look like her…"

I processed that statement, then spoke into his mind. "You know my mother?"

"Mew is your mother?"

I nodded hesitantly, glancing at Jirachi and Kaden, who were watching confusedly. "Yes…"

A moment later, the trainer nodded. "I see. I'm Brandon. What's your name?"

I recognized the name. "Avari. You're Brandon?"

Brandon nodded. "Yes. Your parent told you about me, right?"

I nodded, remembering. "Yes."

Then Brandon glanced at Kaden. "And your parents are Rayquaza and Latias."

I watched Kaden stare in surprise, taking slight pleasure from the sight. Then Brandon asked, "What's your name, then?"

Kaden blinked and responded, "Kaden."

Brandon then nodded, smiling, and turned to Jirachi, who was glancing around at all of us confusedly. "I don't think I recognize you. Who are you?"

Jirachi glanced up at him. "Jirachi."

After a moment, Brandon asked, sounding amazed, "Jirachi?"

Jirachi glanced at us and backed up nervously. "Yes."

"So you're awake now…" Then Brandon glanced at me and Kaden in turn and inquired curiously, "Why are you here?"

I floated forward slightly. "I'll tell you about it…"

I told him the story of our adventure so far, and when I finished, he commented thoughtfully, "So maybe Arceus is trying again, after all, who else would be controlling Darkrai?"

I blinked. "Arceus?" I noticed Jirachi pale at the mention of the name.

Glancing at me, Brandon answered, "Arceus is the Pokemon who formed the universe. He's locked up by the Ancient Law right now, but he still has some power…"

Completely lost, I asked, "What?"

Brandon sighed. "I suppose I should tell you about what happened six years ago, since it appears that you don't know the full story."

Brandon then told us the entire story of the event six years ago that my parents had partially told me before. How he had met an Unown named Orian, and had gone to the three lakes of Sinnoh to try to find a way home for Orian, but had ended up getting embroiled in a larger plot, stopping two separate attempts to end the world. Arceus was the creature that tried to cause the end of the world the second time, and had only been stopped because of the sacrifices of Orian, Kaden's father, and my father.

After hearing the full story finally, I commented, "That's amazing."

Kaden nodded, and Jirachi simply looked shocked.

Then the old man, who had been listening to us silently from the desk in the corner, turned and spoke to Brandon. "That is an interesting story, and it fits with what I already know. But as I listened, I began to realize who you are. Are you not the Sinnoh League Champion?"

Brandon turned to the man, with a look of surprise. "I was, but then I left to train here."

The old man nodded. "That is what I thought. My son, Lucian, is a member of the Elite Four, and he told me about you."

Brandon stared. "You're Lucian's father?"

"Yes. My name is Senex." The old man smiled.

"Oh." Brandon shook his head, then turned back to us. Gesturing out the window, he said to no one in particular, "The sandstorm is still going, and it's late now. Is it all right if we stay here tonight, Senex?"

Senex nodded, rising from his desk and starting toward the door leading deeper into the cabin. "Yes, that is fine. This happens all the time."

Brandon began to get up from where he had been sitting on the floor. "Thank you. We'll stay in this room, I have some gear in my bag." He took off his backpack.

Senex nodded again, leaving the room. Soon afterward, the rest of us settled down and fell asleep.


	34. Destination

Chapter 34 – Destination

**Chapter 34 – Destination**

The creature opened its eyes wearily, then glanced around confusedly. Looking down at itself, it could not remember what it was. _What is my name?_ It could only tell that it had a white and blue body with a red thing around its middle, and two white and blue arms hanging from the sides of its head.

It saw that it was in a small dark room, with nothing else in it, besides something lying on the floor nearby. Instinctively floating over to the other thing, the white creature saw that it was yellow and blue, with a few long protrusions.

This thing then looked up, and the white creature realized that it was alive. It spoke with its mind to the other creature. "Who are you? What is happening? Why am I here?"

The other creature didn't open its eyes, but replied, also with its mind. "I'm sorry, but I had to." It sounded tired.

This only confused the white creature even more. "Had to what? Who am I?"

"Your name is Crystal. I had to wipe your memory."

Crystal thought about her name. It sounded completely unfamiliar. "I have a name?" Then she thought about the other statement. "My memory…? Is that why I can't remember anything?"

The other creature nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"Why did you wipe my memory?"

"You knew things that would put you and others in danger."

"Others?"

"Yes. I would tell you about them, but that would put you in danger."

"Who are you?"

"I am Uxie."

"Oh." Crystal tried to remember something, but couldn't remember anything at all. Despondently she lowered to the floor. "There's nothing. I don't know anything."

Uxie floated upright. "I really am sorry, but there was no choice," he said, feeling guilty.

Suddenly, Crystal glared angrily at him. "I hate you. Go away." She floated to another corner of the room, leaving behind a shocked Uxie.

He sank to the floor weakly. _What have I done?_ As he heard Crystal begin to cry, he shook his head and floated after her.

She was facing the wall and didn't see him. Gently Uxie put one hand on her arm, and she stiffened and turned to him.

"I'm sorry. I can't return your memory, but I will help you any way I can."

Crystal blinked to clear her tears, then smiled. "Thank you." She suddenly floated up and hugged him. Confused, Uxie hesitated for several seconds before hugging her back. He felt his face turn red, and decided that once they escaped, he would have to talk to Mesprit.

.

I woke slowly to feel sunlight on my face, warming me. Drowsily I registered the feeling of something warm and soft on me, and the sound of breathing next to me. Then I slowly fell back to sleep, not wanting to wake up just yet.

.

Jirachi woke slowly, but didn't open his eyes right away. Instead he laid there and relaxed, feeling something warm next to him. Sleepily, he snuggled up to it, feeling it throb regularly, like breathing…

Suddenly his eyes flew open, focusing on what it was that was next to him. He turned red as he realized that he was next to a curled up Avari, hugging her. Quickly he let go, floating away and becoming fully awake.

_How did that happen? I was on the other side of the room…_ He glanced around confusedly, seeing Brandon still asleep in his sleeping bag, and Kaden curled up on the table. After a moment, Kaden opened one eye and glanced at Jirachi, then closed it again.

Jirachi realized what had happened and blushed furiously, glaring at Kaden. "You!"

Kaden opened his eyes, smiling. "What?"

"You know what! It was you, I know it!"

Kaden snickered. "All right, it was me. But you two looked so _cute_ together…"

Jirachi paled, realizing the imminence of blackmail. "Why would you…"

Kaden grinned, appearing to think, while Jirachi watched worriedly. "Let me see, what could I do with this…?"

Jirachi lowered humbly to the floor, knowing that he was under Kaden's full control. He sighed resignedly. "Just don't make me do anything bad."

After a moment, Kaden said, "Don't worry, I won't tell." Jirachi let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, before Kaden continued, grinning, "But you should have seen the look on your face when you realized where you were."

Jirachi blushed, attempting to hide it by glaring at Kaden. "You—" He broke off as he reminded himself that he was still at the dragon Pokemon's mercy.

Then he stiffened as behind him, Avari shifted and woke.

.

I opened my eyes, realizing that I no longer felt warm. Yawning and stretching, I rose from the floor and glanced around.

Kaden and Jirachi were already awake, watching me. Kaden was still settled on the large table, but Jirachi was sitting on the floor in front of the aforementioned table, curiously. I noticed that Jirachi looked away as soon as I saw him, and I floated over to them.

"Good morning," I said. Kaden smiled.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Better than in a long time. Why?" Kaden suddenly looked like he was trying to keep from laughing, and Jirachi glared at him. I felt that I was missing something. "What's going on?"

Jirachi glared at Kaden again, then glanced at me before turning away. "Nothing." He fidgeted with the blue tags attached to his head.

I watched him concernedly. Then Kaden suddenly asked, "Where are we going today?"

I glanced at him. "I wish I knew. But—"

I never finished my sentence, because at that moment Jirachi flashed with bright light. I froze, realizing what I had said.

The light faded, and Jirachi grabbed his head, stumbling slightly, as he turned toward me. I moved forward in concern before Jirachi said, sounding dizzy, "I'm fine." I stopped, watching him worriedly and feeling guilty. Then he continued, "Stark Mountain." Immediately after saying this, he fell forward.

I caught him just in time, lowering him to the floor slowly and putting him down face-up. He sat up, glancing at me wearily. "Can't you wish for simple things?"

"I'm sorry." I moved back, looking at the floor guiltily. "I didn't mean to…"  
Sighing, Jirachi said, "It's all right. At least now we know where to go. Stark Mountain."


	35. Rock Formation

Chapter 35 – Rock Formation

**Chapter 35 – Rock Formation**

Deoxys sat despondently in the small transparent box, staring at the stump of his lower left arm. It hurt, but he didn't care anymore. All he could think about was his daughter, who was now dead.

_What is the point? Why do they keep me here? There is nothing else they could take from me…_ He shook his head, glancing around numbly at the machines that surrounded his prison, seeing without really registering them. He felt a wave of sadness wash over him.

Then a door opened, and a figure entered. It was covered with clothing in such a way that no details could be made out, as the room was also swathed in shadows. The figure looked up at Deoxys, and he saw two points of light gleam from within.

It walked to a machine, and began to press buttons. Then it spoke.

"We need more parts from you, I hope you don't mind." The voice was unfamiliar.

Deoxys became angry. _How dare they! How dare they do this— any of this!_ His eyes glowed, and he put all the strength of his mind onto the transparent walls of the box around him. After a moment, they shattered, and he became weak for a moment before rising again to face the other figure. His eyes flashed angrily, and the crystal on his chest began to glow.

The figure that was working the machine spun at the sound of the shattering prison. Its eyes widened as it realized what had happened, and a moment later it dove out of the way as the white beam that exploded from Deoxys collided with the machine behind it. The machine exploded, momentarily blinding Deoxys.

When the smoke cleared, the other figure was no longer there, having escaped. Deoxys turned and began blindly firing beams and various other attacks at the machines around him, until they were all reduced to molten heaps. When he was satisfied with this, he blew a large hole in one wall, seeing a long grey hallway through it.

Deoxys suddenly became dizzy and weak, falling limply. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

.

We set off soon afterward that morning with Brandon, thanking the old man Senex for his hospitality. The sandstorm had stopped, and the traveling was much easier than before as we headed northward toward Stark Mountain.

After a few minutes, Brandon, who had volunteered to come with us, asked, "Avari, why is that your name? Your mother's name is Mew, and I thought your species was called Mew, too."

I thought for a moment before replying. "Well, according to my mother, it's tradition that the first of every other generation is named Mew. It's sort of like naming a human 'Human'."

Brandon glanced at me. "I don't think there are many humans named Human."

I realized this fact. "Oh."

"So the same goes for you, too, Kaden?" Brandon then inquired of my friend.

Kaden looked back at him and nodded. "Yes."

"What about you, Jirachi?"

Jirachi looked up at him. "I'm the only one of my species."

Brandon looked thoughtful. "How old are you?"

Jirachi blinked, surprised by the question. He stopped and appeared to think for a moment, and the rest of us stopped also, turning to watch him. After several moments, Jirachi slowly pronounced, "Five thousand years. I think."

We stared at him, astonished. I knew that he had been sleeping for a thousand years, but I had never thought about how old he really was. Seeing our reactions, Jirachi added, "I was asleep for most of it, I've only been awake for about… five years total."

A moment later, Kaden noted, "I thought you were only awake for seven days in a thousand years. How does five years…?"

Jirachi nodded. "I was already awake for five years when I first fell asleep."

"Oh. That makes sense." Then Kaden glanced at me from the corner of his eye and said, "He's your age."

I reddened, turning away from the rest of them and saying privately to Kaden, "Shut up."

The next moment, a large rock formation a few feet away from me blew apart, showering me with rock. I cried out in surprise and fell to the ground. The others also gave exclamations of surprise, and I sat up in time to see the dust clear from the air.

.

A tall, cloaked figure stood in the trees, motionless. After several moments, two purple glowing eyes appeared, and it turned its head slightly to the left.

_I sense another like me. I also sense danger, something brewing. I must investigate._

The cloaked figure flashed and disappeared.

.

A shadowy figure materialized. Two glowing red eyes regarded it.

"Darkrai. I have a task for you. A simple one, that should be easy enough for you."

Darkrai watched apprehensively. "What is it?"

"Destroy Cresselia."

Darkrai's cold blue eye widened. "Why?"

"The target has the Lunar Wing, which may be used to reawaken the elder Mew. This must not be allowed to happen. According to my resources, if Cresselia is destroyed, the Lunar Wing will also be destroyed. Since there is no way to destroy the Lunar Wing without harming the target, it will be much simpler to destroy Cresselia."

"Why don't you want to harm the target? Why not simply destroy this 'elder Mew' instead?"

"They are both necessary, alive, for my plan to meet fruition."

Darkrai's eye narrowed. "You told me to kill the target before."

"I did not yet realize that the target possessed what I sought. My only concern then was to prevent the awakening of the elder Mew. Now go and complete your task."

Darkrai paused momentarily, trying to think of a way out. For some reason, despite the fact that he knew he hated the Pokemon of dreams, he was reluctant to agree. Finally he nodded slowly. "Fine, sir."

The one blue eye flashed before the dark, shadowy form attached to it wavered and disappeared.

.

"Giratina." The voice echoed through the hall, making its translucent white floor and ceiling shake.

Momentarily, a large shadow appeared, two glowing red points in its midst. It bowed, then spoke hesitantly in a low, sepulchral voice. "What is your will?"

Two eyes, each glowing red and green, stared at the shadow. "Find Palkia and Dialga."

The shadow's red eyes blinked, before it responded. "I cannot."

The red and green eyes flashed in anger. "You dare to disobey me?"

The shadow moved backward a distance. "I cannot do that."

"I will punish you for disobedience."

The shadow gained substance, two shadowy wings folding protectively in front of it. "So be it."

"What method of punishment do you prefer? Corporal, emotional, or spiritual?"

The shadow appeared to flinch at each word. After a moment, the deep, rumbling voice spoke again. "If you have no answer, then…"

Two beams of light shot from the red and green eyes, one from each. They impacted the shadow, and on the point of contact a glowing field spread across it, covering the shadow completely after a few seconds. Once it was completely covered by a swirling field of light, the light shrank down into a tiny point until it disappeared.

A few moments later, the voice spoke again, making the translucent surface under the eyes rumble. "Darkrai."


	36. Regirock

Chapter 36 - Regirock

**Chapter 36 - Regirock**

Crystal woke at the sound of something sliding. She thought it sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember. Opening her eyes and glancing toward the source of the sound, she saw a creature walking toward her. It had two arms and two legs, and its body was tan-colored. Most of it was covered by strange white and black material.

She floated upright, watching it apprehensively. In the back of her mind, she thought, _It's a human_. But she didn't know how she knew this, and after a moment of trying to recall in vain she gave up.

Uxie floated up from a few feet away to hover next to her, facing the human, though his eyes were closed. Crystal still wasn't sure why they were always closed.

The human reached into the white material covering it and produced a small metal object. Then it spoke. "Since the Froslass is of no further use, it has been ordered to be terminated."

Crystal's eyes widened as she processed that statement, and a moment later Uxie moved in front of her. "You cannot do this."

The human pointed the metal object at him. "Move. You are still useful."

Uxie shook his head, and Crystal backed away slightly. Then the human was surrounded by a purple light, and Crystal froze, watching in confusion.

After a second, the human's hand moved slightly, and Crystal gasped as Uxie suddenly collapsed to the floor limply. She rushed toward him in concern, only to be stopped as the human then pointed the metal object at her.

Crystal stared at it for a moment, before the human pressed a button on it, and a pulse of light shot from it. For a long instant that seemed to last forever, she struggled to move but found that she couldn't, helpless as the light sped toward her.

Then Uxie rose in front of her, absorbing the light. Crystal watched in dismay as he jerked violently, then fell to the floor again. The human stared for a moment, before turning and leaving.

Crystal didn't even wait to see the human leave the room before rushing forward to check if Uxie was alright. Upon reaching him and instinctively knowing what to do, she felt his wrist for a pulse, and to her horror found none.

Uxie's foot twitched once, before he suddenly dissolved into countless glowing white particles and disappeared.

.

Emerging from the dust was a large creature, about as tall as Kaden. It appeared to be made of rock, even though it was moving, and was formed vaguely in the shape of a human. It had two arm-like protrusions and two leg-like protrusions, and on its back were three spikes of red rock. On the spot where its face would be if it were human was a pattern of seven dots, arranged to look like two columns connected by another row in the middle. I was immediately struck by the similarity between this creature and the creature I had encountered before, the one made of ice.

It took a few steps in our direction as the dust settled, then stopped. We stared at it in astonishment. After a few seconds, it spoke in a masculine voice, though in a language I didn't know. This again reminded me of the other creature.

Kaden and Jirachi immediately moved in front of me protectively, and Brandon stepped forward, exclaiming, "That's Regirock!"

The creature he called Regirock spoke again, this time understandable. "Language confirmed. Voice key is incorrect. Unauthorized access not permitted. Threat confirmed."

My eyes widened as I recalled how the other one had attacked anyone who talked, and I turned to Brandon, crying, "Move!" Brandon glanced at me, startled, then jumped aside as Regirock dashed toward him, punching with one rocky arm. He took out a Poke Ball and pressed the button in its center, releasing the creature within with a flash of light.

"Budd, Magical Leaf!"

The small, vaguely human-shaped green creature it had released raised its arms, pointing the flowers at their ends at Regirock. Regirock moved toward Brandon, but stopped as it was hit by many glowing leaves and knocked down. Brandon smiled, moving backward and recalling Budd in another flash of light.

Then he produced another Poke Ball, releasing from it a large round creature roughly four times as large as me that appeared to be at least partially made of rocks, with some reptilian features.

"Gravl, use Earthquake."

The round, rocky Pokemon, which I supposed was called Gravl, raised one three-fingered claw and smashed it into the ground. The earth underneath us shook from the impact, cracks appearing. As I looked on in amazement, rock formations nearby crumbled, and sand rose into the air, clouding my vision.

I breathed in sand and dust and coughed before holding my breath, waiting for the air to clear. Gradually the dust settled, and I could see again.

Brandon was still standing, which was impressive considering he was the only one besides Regirock and his Pokemon who couldn't float. Regirock was lying on the ground motionlessly, and Gravl was watching the other rocky Pokemon.

Suddenly, Regirock said in a monotone voice, "Threat identified." It climbed back to its feet and faced Gravl. The dots on its face flashed quickly in turn.

"Gravl, Earthquake again."

Gravl raised one claw, but before it could smash it into the ground again, Regirock jumped toward it, smashing one arm into it. Gravl immediately fell limply and began rolling away due to its body shape. Brandon gave a cry of surprise and recalled it, producing another Poke Ball.

Jirachi's eyes glowed, but nothing happened, and I glanced at him confusedly. He glanced at me and smiled nervously. Then Kaden flew at Regirock, mouth spewing flames, as Brandon released Budd from its Poke Ball again.

Regirock turned to Kaden as it was engulfed in flames. Halting in front of the rock creature, Kaden hovered and continued to breathe fire at it. Then Regirock, not seeming to feel the heat at all, punched Kaden, sending him flying backward and skidding into the sand.

I cried out and moved toward him, but stopped when he rose and shook off the sand. He said into my mind, "I'm alright." Then his eyes glowed for a second, before they stopped and he glanced at the rocky creature with a confused expression.

"Giga Drain!"

Budd shot vines from its flowers at Regirock, and they latched on, wrapping around the creature of rock. They began to glow for several moments, until Regirock jerked backward, ripping the vines and causing Budd to gasp and cringe in pain. The vines were quickly withdrawn, and Regirock seemed no worse for wear.

Regirock moved toward Budd more quickly than it would seem possible. Once it was right next to Brandon's Pokemon, it spun around, and one of the spikes on its back suddenly elongated, spearing toward Budd. Budd moved aside, dodging it, and Regirock turned back around.

I suddenly remembered what the other one had said. _Visual match confirmed_. Did that mean that it only needed to see me to stop the fighting? I decided to risk it.

I quickly floated in front of the rocky creature, facing it, as the others gave cries of dismay. Preparing myself to dodge if I wasn't right, I watched as Regirock froze in its tracks.

A moment later, its monotone voice said, "Visual match confirmed. Voice key required."

I hesitated for a moment, taking a breath to calm myself. "Avari."

"Voice key confirmed. Mission objective reached." A small stone fell from one of its arms, hitting the sand and causing a small cloud of dust to rise.

"Model Regirock mission completed. Self-destruct imminent."

I remembered this part and had just enough time to fly backward about a foot before Regirock exploded into miniscule bits of rock and sand, showering us for several moments. I closed my eyes and covered them to shield them.

When the barrage ended, I opened my eyes and looked around. There was no sign that Regirock had been there, aside from one small red stone.

The next moment, we were surrounded by light.


	37. Stark

**Chapter 37 – Stark**

Crystal looked up with teary eyes as she heard another sliding sound. A panel opened in a wall on the other side of the room, and something dropped through it, hitting the floor with a thump. The panel immediately closed after it.

Crystal blinked to clear her eyes, then floated over to the dark object apprehensively. Upon nearing it, she saw that it was a large creature, roughly twice her size, that had two wings and was covered in white scales and red feathers. Wrapped around it were several long, thin, black things. Pausing and watching it curiously from a safe distance, Crystal wondered what it was. It appeared to be breathing, so it was probably alive.

After several moments, it opened its eyes, revealing them to be yellow in color. Glancing around wearily, then groaning and shifting, it spoke into Crystal's mind.

"Ow… Where am I?" The telepathic voice was feminine, leading Crystal to believe it was female.

She floated slightly closer. "I don't know. Who are you?"

The other creature rested its head on the floor tiredly. "Latias."

"My name is Crystal. I think."

Latias turned her head to glance at Crystal, then winced slightly. "You don't know your name?"

Crystal shook her head sadly. "I don't remember anything." She then moved forward in concern as Latias shifted and winced again. "What's wrong?"

Latias tried to move one wing, but couldn't because it was pinned to her body by black cords. "I can't move." Her arms were likewise trapped, and her neck couldn't bend far enough to bite the cords.

Crystal approached and studied the cords. She then grabbed one and pulled on it, but stopped when Latias flinched in discomfort. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. Just leave them, I'll be fine." Latias's head dropped wearily back to the smooth floor. After a moment, she asked a question. "Why can't you remember anything?"

Crystal lowered to the floor next to Latias and stared into the gloom around her. "Before you showed up, there was someone else here. He was named Uxie."

Latias glanced up in surprise. "Uxie?" Then she realized something. "He _was_ named Uxie?"

Crystal nodded sadly. "He told me he erased my memory because I knew things that could put me and other people in danger. But then a human came and said that they didn't need me anymore." She paused momentarily, then continued. "The human was going to kill me, but Uxie protected me. But then…" She broke off.

"I'm sorry." Latias realized what the loss of Uxie would mean, and was sad because of that. _But Crystal doesn't appear to know who he was, so why…?_

"How did you get here?" Crystal asked suddenly.

Latias was caught off guard by the question. After a moment, she replied, "I don't really know either. I was flying over Eterna Forest to try and find one of my children, when I was hit by something on my head. Then I was here."

Crystal glanced at her. "You have children?"

"Yes, I have two."

"Oh." Crystal was silent for several moments. "Do you think they could be somewhere around here, too?"

Latias felt worry begin to rise inside her. "I hope not."

Crystal sighed sadly. "I don't know if I have any. I don't remember anything, not even a scrap of a memory. All I know is the basics: how to speak and other things that everyone knows. I can recognize some common things, but I won't remember ever even hearing the names or seeing them before. I don't even know if I ever met you before now."

Latias realized exactly what it meant to lose your memory. "I'm sorry." Mentally she remanded herself for worrying about Kaden and Sakura when Crystal had lost both her memory and her only friend. At least her children were most likely still alive.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry about what happened to you, and I hope your children are alright." Crystal glanced at Latias worriedly. "Will you be able to sleep with those?" She gestured at the thick black cords.

Latias struggled against them for a second before giving up again. "Maybe. I'll be fine, don't worry." She collapsed back onto the floor wearily and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, Crystal realized that her new cellmate had already fallen asleep.

~.~

The glowing light swirled around us, and I recognized it as the same thing that Jirachi had done before. After a moment, it faded, leaving all of us feeling much better.

Brandon glanced around in confusion. "What just happened?"

Jirachi floated off the ground. "It was a delayed healing."

Brandon realized what he meant. "Oh, thank you, then." He recalled Budd, and then glanced at the red stone on the sand before staring at me. "What did you do?"

I noticed Jirachi and Kaden also staring at me in curiosity, and my tail twitched slightly. "Well, it was similar to the one we found before, the one that was made of ice, so I figured it would behave the same way. The other one stopped when it saw me, and this one did, too. I don't know why, though."

Kaden spoke thoughtfully. "This one said something about a 'visual match'. That means it recognized what you looked like."

I paused for a second, confused. "How would it know what I…?"

"Logan said it was old, like me," Jirachi contributed, before studying me. "How would it know what you looked like if it was as old as me?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know how they could hear my telepathy or recognize it either. The other one didn't have a mind."

"Neither did this one," Kaden observed, smiling ruefully. "I wish you had told me about the first one."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, before floating over to the small red rock that had been left behind. Studying it, I noted, "The first one gave me a part of itself, too. I wonder what they're for?" I concentrated, and a small pink bubble formed in the air in front of me. Inside of it floated the Lunar Wing and the shard of ice that I had collected.

I picked up the red stone and dropped it into the bubble, watching it sink inside, before concentrating and making the bubble and its contents disappear. Then I turned back to the others, putting a paw to my head to steady my suddenly dizzy vision. Brandon was watching with amazement.

"How did you do that?"

Once everything stopped spinning, I shrugged. "That's just how I take things around. It takes energy though, so I only use it if there's more than one thing. Now, let's keep going to Stark Mountain."

We continued north without any more incidents, and soon Stark Mountain loomed before us. It was a large, rocky mountain with a flat top. We passed through an abandoned guardhouse on the way, after which the terrain became less sandy and more grassy, though rocks were still scattered through it. After a while, ash began to fall from the sky.

"Ow, something's in my eye," Jirachi complained, blinking furiously. I turned back to him before something else fell into my own eye.

"Ow, what is that?" I rubbed my eye, blinking. Brandon glanced upward.

"It's ash, from the mountain. Stark Mountain is a volcano, and though it's generally dormant, ash is always falling from it."

"Look downward," Kaden advised, doing so himself. I nodded and settled onto the grass to continue my attempts to clear my eye.

Then the grass under me moved.


	38. Shaymin

Chapter 38 – Shaymin

**Chapter 38 – Shaymin**

"Celebi."

A small green fairy-like creature appeared, hovering with her wings above the translucent white surface of the hall. "I am here, sir." She bowed and swallowed, remembering Giratina's fate earlier that day. She probably wouldn't be banished to a realm filled with cats like him, but she was sure she wouldn't like the alternatives.

"Find the Mew that is called Avari, and deliver this message." Celebi glanced up at the red and green eyes and noticed a strange flicker around them. For a moment, she could have sworn it looked like…

"Tell her to travel to Mount Coronet once the heat is taken from the mountain." Celebi blinked, absorbing that information. She didn't ask questions. That could be fatal.

Instead she bowed again. "Is that all?" she asked, fervently hoping the answer would be yes.

"No." Celebi's heart sank. "After this, find both Heatran and tell them to give the Magma Stone to the Mew."

Celebi memorized this, then asked another question. "Where can I find Avari, sir?"

"Go to Stark Mountain, you will find her there."

Celebi nodded and bowed. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes. You are dismissed."

Celebi let out her breath and flew away. A moment later, the eyes closed, and if one looked hard enough, the faint outline of a head could be seen around where they had been.

.

In a large puddle of murky water, the purple, blue, and yellow form of a swan-like creature was sleeping. The air before it blackened, wavering, until another creature faded into view.

Darkrai gazed at Cresselia's sleeping body. Slowly raising one claw, he prepared to destroy it. Emotionlessly, he watched as a dark, shadowy haze formed around his claw, and he pointed it at Cresselia.

Then the haze faded, and the claw dropped to his side. _I can't. I don't know why, but I can't_. Mentally he scolded himself for not being able to destroy even an enemy who was asleep. _This should be easy, she's vulnerable now._

Darkrai turned away, thinking. _But that's the very reason why_, he realized. _I can't do it when she's unable to fight back. But why not?_

Sighing, he turned back. His eyes flashed, and he entered Cresselia's sleeping mind, and her dreams.

.

I quickly floated off of the grass, spinning to see what it was that was moving. I stared as a small patch of grass darted away. Quickly I blinked the ashes from my eye and followed the moving grass as it rushed to the other side of the field, stopping at the foot of a rock formation.

"What's wrong, Avari?" Jirachi asked me, floating closer. I glanced around at the others and realized that they hadn't seen it.

"The grass, it moved," I answered, gesturing in the direction the aforementioned grass had gone and starting off toward it. The others followed me curiously.

Upon reaching the rock formation where the grass had stopped, I looked around for it. It had disappeared. After a few moments of looking, I was startled as a patch of grass next to me suddenly uncurled. Snapping my head around, I caught a glimpse of something red as it moved away, blending into the grass again.

"I saw it this time," Kaden observed. "So you're not a liar after all."

I glanced at him. "Thanks." Then I turned back to stare after the moving patch of grass.

"It's interesting," Jirachi started, "But what does it have to do with what we're doing?"

A moment later, I turned away and sighed. "Nothing, I guess. Let's go."

We started back off toward Stark Mountain, careful not to get ashes in our eyes. But after we had gone a few feet, Brandon suddenly jumped, and I heard a muffled "Ow!" in my mind.

Kaden, Jirachi and I turned curiously and floated toward Brandon as he bent down to study something in the grass. When I was close enough, I looked down and saw that it was a small white furry creature, with grass and two red flowers growing on its back. Right now it was curled up into a ball, its eyes closed.

After a moment, it opened its eyes, revealing them to be green. It glanced up at us, then closed them again. I heard a voice in my mind again. "Ow, don't hurt me." I realized that it was coming from the white creature.

"We won't hurt you," Brandon told it after a moment of surprise. "I'm sorry I stepped on you."

It opened its eyes again and looked up at him, then uncurled, revealing four stumpy legs. "Oh."

After a moment of silence, I asked, "What's your name?"

It looked up at me. "Shaymin."

"I'm Avari. Sorry for chasing you."

Shaymin smiled. "It's alright. Who are the rest of you?" She glanced at Brandon, Jirachi and Kaden in turn.

They gave their names, then Shaymin asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to Stark Mountain." I gestured toward the large volcano looming over us. I sensed that Shaymin was friendly.

Cocking her head curiously, Shaymin asked, "Why?"

We took turns telling our story to Shaymin, at least Kaden, Jirachi, and I did. Brandon simply watched, since he had just joined us.

As soon as we finished, Shaymin looked around. "There _is_ something strange happening here. I don't know what, but I can sense it."

"Do you live here?" Jirachi asked her. She nodded.

Then I was struck from behind by a heavy object and immediately fell unconscious.


	39. Old Foes

Chapter 39 – Old Foes

**Chapter 39 – Old Foes**

Latias woke, glancing around and seeing Crystal sleeping a few feet away. She couldn't tell whether it was night or day, or how much time had passed. Her body was stiff and sore, because the black cords kept her from moving. Struggling futilely against them, she eventually gave up and put her head back on the floor.

Then she heard a sliding noise from behind her, and she looked back but couldn't bend her neck far enough to see anything. There was a soft thud, and then the sliding noise came again. Latias concentrated, trying to rise into the air and turn herself around, but she was still weak and only made herself dizzy.

Sighing resignedly, she relaxed again and shifted, wincing at the uncomfortable cords wrapped around her. Closing her eyes, Latias tried to go back to sleep.

Crystal then woke up, blinked, and glanced at Latias. "Are you awake?" she asked.

Latias opened her eyes again. "Yes."

Crystal floated nearer. "Did anything new happen?"

"I think so, there were some noises behind me. But I couldn't move to see what they were." Latias pushed against the black cords with her arms, but they were pinned to her in such a position that she couldn't get very good leverage. She gave up again after a few seconds, breathing heavily.

Crystal noticed. "I'm sorry," she sympathized. Then she floated around Latias, who attempted to follow her with her eyes but failed because her neck wasn't flexible enough.

A second later, Crystal returned, this time holding something in each hand. They were small round red and yellow objects. "What are they?" she asked, showing one to Latias.

Latias inspected it and sniffed it, then observed, "It's food. Berries."

"Oh." Crystal looked at them closely, then put them both down in front of Latias. "You can have them, I'm not hungry."

Latias glanced up at her. "Are you sure?"

Crystal nodded, floating back and settling onto the floor. "Yes, I'm fine."

Latias lowered her head to bite one berry, then stopped. "Why would they give us food?"

Crystal shrugged. "To keep us alive. Who knows?"

Latias glanced at the two small berries suspiciously. "What if they're poisoned?"

"You'll die anyway if you don't eat."

"But still, we should try to check before…"

Crystal took one of the berries and took a bite out of it, as Latias watched in dismay. "What are you doing?"

Crystal swallowed, then gave what was left back to Latias. "There, now we'll know for sure."

Latias stared at it, then back up at Crystal. "That wasn't what I had in mind…"

"If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't use poison, they would just do it straight out," Crystal reasoned. Then she added darkly, "They have plenty of opportunity to."

Latias thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "You're right." She snapped up one of the berries, realizing how hungry she was. It was dried and tasteless and almost made her gag, but she forced herself to swallow it after a moment.

Latias then glanced at Crystal again and back at the other berry, which was the one that had a bite taken out of it. "Are you sure you don't want it? This is all we're likely to get for a while…"

Crystal shook her head. "You can have it, I'll be fine."

Latias ate the other berry. Then she glanced around at the blank walls of their prison. "How should we get out of here?"

Crystal shrugged and sighed resignedly. "I don't know."

Latias struggled against the cords that still immobilized her for a moment. "Can you help me?" She winced as one cord dug into her stomach.

Crystal floated to her. "Alright. But we tried before…"

Latias nodded ruefully. "Just try to get them off, no matter what I do. I'll be fine."

Crystal nodded grimly and pulled experimentally on one of the cords. When Latias flinched, she stopped, observing, "These are really thick. I don't think I'm strong enough to…"

Latias closed her eyes, bracing herself. "Just try."

Crystal glanced at her with worry, then nodded. Taking hold of the same black cord again, she pulled as hard as she could.

Latias gasped in pain, wincing. After a moment, a loud snap was heard as the cord gave way, and Crystal floated backward a few inches before stopping. Latias flinched before opening her eyes and turning her head to view her side.

The cord had snapped where Crystal had held it, and was still on Latias. But Latias saw to her dismay that it hadn't given up before first cutting a gouge in her. She looked closer and winced as she saw that the cord was embedded in her skin.

Crystal floated over to the opposite side from the one she had been pulling at, which was the one Latias was examining. She studied it and winced sympathetically as she saw what Latias already had.

"We'll have to get it out," she observed, and reached up to grab the cord end that was dangling from Latias's other side. She began to slowly peel it out from that end, when Latias jerked away reflexively, causing Crystal to let go.

"Argh, that hurts," she whimpered. Crystal took hold of the cord again.

"I'm sorry," she said, before quickly pulling it out all at once. Latias flinched and shifted, gasping, as her eyes filled with tears. After dropping the cord so that it now lay underneath Latias, Crystal looked down at her hands and saw that they were wet with a dark liquid. Grimacing and wiping them off on the floor, she reexamined Latias's side.

"It's bleeding a little," she noted worriedly. "But I think it'll be alright."

Latias nodded and took a breath, trembling from the pain.

Then Crystal glanced at all of the other cords that were still wrapped around Latias. In all there were about ten more. "That's one down."

.

Jirachi, Kaden, and Brandon spun as Avari cried out before collapsing to the ground. Behind her was a large blue, vaguely human-like creature. Its skin appeared to be rubbery, and was covered in black and white markings. On the top of its head was a flat horn-like protrusion, and on its throat was a large red sac-like organ. There was a large bulge on its back, and its eyes were yellow and glaring. It had four fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, and its middle fingers were longer than the others, and red and pointy.

One hand was outstretched toward where Avari had been floating. The creature quickly grabbed Avari and began running away.

Jirachi and Kaden cried out, and both their eyes began glowing at the same time. A purple aura surrounded the creature, stopping it in its tracks. Brandon produced a Poke Ball, releasing Gravl from it with a flash of light.

"It's a Toxicroak," he then observed. "What is it doing here? They don't live here…" He glanced around, puzzled.

The next moment, a rope net fell on Kaden, making him cry out in surprise and lose his concentration, falling to the ground. Jirachi was also distracted by the sudden noise and turned slightly.

The Toxicroak was released from the purple aura and continued running away, still holding Avari. Jirachi quickly reactivated his psychic hold on the creature, again stopping it. Kaden opened his mouth, breathing fire and burning a hole in the net. After a few moments, he wriggled free and again added his power to Jirachi's holding the Toxicroak.

"Gravl, use Earthquake!" Brandon commanded, and Gravl nodded, slamming its claws into the ground. Shaymin, who had been watching in surprise, curled into a ball again as the earth shook.

The Toxicroak stumbled, dropping Avari. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped, and the Toxicroak was still frozen in place on the ground next to Avari. Brandon walked up to them and picked Avari up, carrying her back over to where Kaden and Jirachi were floating. Her put her down on the grass, the faced the Toxicroak.

"Toxicroak don't live here. It has a trainer."

Then a voice came from past where the Toxicroak was frozen. "That's right. But I don't think three on one is exactly fair."

Brandon stared in surprise. He saw no one. "Where are you?"

Suddenly a noise came from behind him, warning him in time to dodge the blow that was aimed at his head. He spun, facing the attacker.

It was a man, with blue hair that stuck up on both sides like horns. He was wearing a white and black uniform, and on his chest was a prominent yellow "G". He jumped back a few feet, taking out a Poke Ball.

"I am Saturn, a commander and acting leader of Team Galactic. Hand over the Mew."

Brandon glared. "Team Galactic no longer exists. It was dissolved six years ago."

Saturn shook his head, grinning. "No, you're wrong. Team Galactic still exists, we just went into hibernation for a while. Until we had a chance to complete our plans. Now give me the Mew." He gestured at Avari.

"No." Brandon moved between Saturn and Avari, taking out another Poke Ball. Gravl stood next to him.

Saturn took a step forward. "You can't stop me."

"Yes I can. Try getting past Gravl." Gravl glanced up at Brandon at the mention of his name.

"Your Pokemon is no match for mine. I can prove it." Saturn grinned, releasing the Pokemon from his Poke Ball.


	40. Saturn

**Chapter 39 – Old Foes**

Latias woke, glancing around and seeing Crystal sleeping a few feet away. She couldn't tell whether it was night or day, or how much time had passed. Her body was stiff and sore, because the black cords kept her from moving. Struggling futilely against them, she eventually gave up and put her head back on the floor.

Then she heard a sliding noise from behind her, and she looked back but couldn't bend her neck far enough to see anything. There was a soft thud, and then the sliding noise came again. Latias concentrated, trying to rise into the air and turn herself around, but she was still weak and only made herself dizzy.

Sighing resignedly, she relaxed again and shifted, wincing at the uncomfortable cords wrapped around her. Closing her eyes, Latias tried to go back to sleep.

Crystal then woke up, blinked, and glanced at Latias. "Are you awake?" she asked.

Latias opened her eyes again. "Yes."

Crystal floated nearer. "Did anything new happen?"

"I think so, there were some noises behind me. But I couldn't move to see what they were." Latias pushed against the black cords with her arms, but they were pinned to her in such a position that she couldn't get very good leverage. She gave up again after a few seconds, breathing heavily.

Crystal noticed. "I'm sorry," she sympathized. Then she floated around Latias, who attempted to follow her with her eyes but failed because her neck wasn't flexible enough.

A second later, Crystal returned, this time holding something in each hand. They were small round red and yellow objects. "What are they?" she asked, showing one to Latias.

Latias inspected it and sniffed it, then observed, "It's food. Berries."

"Oh." Crystal looked at them closely, then put them both down in front of Latias. "You can have them, I'm not hungry."

Latias glanced up at her. "Are you sure?"

Crystal nodded, floating back and settling onto the floor. "Yes, I'm fine."

Latias lowered her head to bite one berry, then stopped. "Why would they give us food?"

Crystal shrugged. "To keep us alive. Who knows?"

Latias glanced at the two small berries suspiciously. "What if they're poisoned?"

"You'll die anyway if you don't eat."

"But still, we should try to check before…"

Crystal took one of the berries and took a bite out of it, as Latias watched in dismay. "What are you doing?"

Crystal swallowed, then gave what was left back to Latias. "There, now we'll know for sure."

Latias stared at it, then back up at Crystal. "That wasn't what I had in mind…"

"If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't use poison, they would just do it straight out," Crystal reasoned. Then she added darkly, "They have plenty of opportunity to."

Latias thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "You're right." She snapped up one of the berries, realizing how hungry she was. It was dried and tasteless and almost made her gag, but she forced herself to swallow it after a moment.

Latias then glanced at Crystal again and back at the other berry, which was the one that had a bite taken out of it. "Are you sure you don't want it? This is all we're likely to get for a while…"

Crystal shook her head. "You can have it, I'll be fine."

Latias ate the other berry. Then she glanced around at the blank walls of their prison. "How should we get out of here?"

Crystal shrugged and sighed resignedly. "I don't know."

Latias struggled against the cords that still immobilized her for a moment. "Can you help me?" She winced as one cord dug into her stomach.

Crystal floated to her. "Alright. But we tried before…"

Latias nodded ruefully. "Just try to get them off, no matter what I do. I'll be fine."

Crystal nodded grimly and pulled experimentally on one of the cords. When Latias flinched, she stopped, observing, "These are really thick. I don't think I'm strong enough to…"

Latias closed her eyes, bracing herself. "Just try."

Crystal glanced at her with worry, then nodded. Taking hold of the same black cord again, she pulled as hard as she could.

Latias gasped in pain, wincing. After a moment, a loud snap was heard as the cord gave way, and Crystal floated backward a few inches before stopping. Latias flinched before opening her eyes and turning her head to view her side.

The cord had snapped where Crystal had held it, and was still on Latias. But Latias saw to her dismay that it hadn't given up before first cutting a gouge in her. She looked closer and winced as she saw that the cord was embedded in her skin.

Crystal floated over to the opposite side from the one she had been pulling at, which was the one Latias was examining. She studied it and winced sympathetically as she saw what Latias already had.

"We'll have to get it out," she observed, and reached up to grab the cord end that was dangling from Latias's other side. She began to slowly peel it out from that end, when Latias jerked away reflexively, causing Crystal to let go.

"Argh, that hurts," she whimpered. Crystal took hold of the cord again.

"I'm sorry," she said, before quickly pulling it out all at once. Latias flinched and shifted, gasping, as her eyes filled with tears. After dropping the cord so that it now lay underneath Latias, Crystal looked down at her hands and saw that they were wet with a dark liquid. Grimacing and wiping them off on the floor, she reexamined Latias's side.

"It's bleeding a little," she noted worriedly. "But I think it'll be alright."

Latias nodded and took a breath, trembling from the pain.

Then Crystal glanced at all of the other cords that were still wrapped around Latias. In all there were about ten more. "That's one down."

~.~

Jirachi, Kaden, and Brandon spun as Avari cried out before collapsing to the ground. Behind her was a large blue, vaguely human-like creature. Its skin appeared to be rubbery, and was covered in black and white markings. On the top of its head was a flat horn-like protrusion, and on its throat was a large red sac-like organ. There was a large bulge on its back, and its eyes were yellow and glaring. It had four fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, and its middle fingers were longer than the others, and red and pointy.

One hand was outstretched toward where Avari had been floating. The creature quickly grabbed Avari and began running away.

Jirachi and Kaden cried out, and both their eyes began glowing at the same time. A purple aura surrounded the creature, stopping it in its tracks. Brandon produced a Poke Ball, releasing Halle from it with a flash of light.

"It's a Toxicroak," he then observed. "What is it doing here? They don't live here…" He glanced around, puzzled.

The next moment, a rope net fell on Kaden, making him cry out in surprise and lose his concentration, falling to the ground. Jirachi was also distracted by the sudden noise and turned slightly.

The Toxicroak was released from the purple aura and continued running away, still holding Avari. Jirachi quickly reactivated his psychic hold on the creature, again stopping it. Kaden opened his mouth, breathing fire and burning a hole in the net. After a few moments, he wriggled free and again added his power to Jirachi's holding the Toxicroak.

"Halle, use Earthquake!" Brandon commanded, and Halle nodded, slamming its claws into the ground. Shaymin, who had been watching in surprise, curled into a ball again as the earth shook.

The Toxicroak stumbled, dropping Avari. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped, and the Toxicroak was still frozen in place on the ground next to Avari. Brandon walked up to them and picked Avari up, carrying her back over to where Kaden and Jirachi were floating. Her put her down on the grass, the faced the Toxicroak.

"Toxicroak don't live here. It has a trainer."

Then a voice came from past where the Toxicroak was frozen. "That's right. But I don't think three on one is exactly fair."

Brandon stared in surprise. He saw no one. "Where are you?"

Suddenly a noise came from behind him, warning him in time to dodge the blow that was aimed at his head. He spun, facing the attacker.

It was a man, with blue hair that stuck up on both sides like horns. He was wearing a white and black uniform, and on his chest was a prominent yellow "G". He jumped back a few feet, taking out a Poke Ball.

"I am Saturn, a commander and acting leader of Team Galactic. Hand over the Mew."

Brandon glared. "Team Galactic no longer exists. It was dissolved six years ago."

Saturn shook his head, grinning. "No, you're wrong. Team Galactic still exists, we just went into hibernation for a while. Until we had a chance to complete our plans. Now give me the Mew." He gestured at Avari.

"No." Brandon moved between Saturn and Avari, taking out another Poke Ball. Halle stood next to him.

Saturn took a step forward. "You can't stop me."

"Yes I can. Try getting past Halle." Halle glanced up at Brandon at the mention of his name.

"Your Pokemon is no match for mine. I can prove it." Saturn grinned, releasing the Pokemon from his Poke Ball.


	41. Aftermath

**Chapter 40 – Saturn**

"No, don't do that," Latias pleaded as Crystal grabbed hold of a second cord. "I'm fine, really."

Crystal stopped, glancing at her. "You said to get them off, no matter what you do."

Latias flinched. "I changed my mind. I don't want—"

Suddenly a sliding noise was heard as a panel opened in a wall near them, and they both turned in surprise as something dropped out of it with a thump. The panel closed a moment later, sealing them off again.

Crystal let go and floated over to inspect it, to Latias's relief. Crystal saw that it was a small blue form that looked vaguely similar to Uxie. It was breathing irregularly, and its eyes were closed.

After a moment, it opened its eyes halfway and glanced weakly at Crystal without moving its head. Its eyes were yellow. After a few seconds, its eyes closed again.

Crystal floated down to it in concern. "Who are you? What's wrong?"

One eye opened again and glanced at her. It was unfocused, appearing to look through her. "Azelf." The newcomer spoke into her head in a masculine voice.

"Are you alright?"

Azelf closed his eye again and coughed weakly. "No…"

"What's wrong?"

"Tired… ow…" The voice faded away.

"Can you move?"

After a long moment of silence, Crystal realized that he had fallen asleep. Leaving him where he was, she floated back over to Latias.

"What is it?" Latias asked.

"I'm not sure. It's alive, and he says his name is Azelf…"

"Azelf?" Latias's eyes widened. "How did he get…"

Crystal glanced at her curiously. "You know him?"

Latias shook her head uncertainly. "I know who he is, but I don't really _know_ him."

"Oh." After a moment, Crystal gestured toward the limp figure of Azelf, which was barely visible through the gloom. "He's not doing well, he was barely able to tell me his name. I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He's asleep now, so when he wakes up I'll see if he's doing any better."

Latias wondered who it was who was keeping them there. _Who would be able to capture the legendary Beings of Knowledge _and_ Willpower?_

Then Crystal transferred her gaze to the black cords still wrapped around Latias. Noticing, Latias swallowed and tried to shift away, but didn't get very far because of the aforementioned bonds. Floating over to her, Crystal touched one of the cords, and Latias flinched, bracing herself.

"We need to find another way to break these," Crystal said. Latias processed that statement and relaxed again. "Is there anything sharp around here?" Crystal then continued.

Latias glanced around, and then sighed despondently. "Not that I can think of." She struggled again for a moment but then gave up, like all the times before, and put her head down onto the floor. She sighed again. "We'll never get out."

Crystal floated back and settled onto the floor. "Don't worry. Someone will probably have noticed we were gone by now, and come looking. You'll see."

Latias closed her eyes. "I just hope it isn't Kaden or Sakura."

~.~

Deoxys woke again. He tried to move, but found that he couldn't. He felt very weak.

Opening his eyes, he glanced wearily at his surroundings. He was inside of a small transparent container, even smaller than the last one. It was just large enough to fit him, and he had no freedom of movement whatsoever. The container fit his body almost exactly, without even giving him enough room to turn his head.

Through the transparent surface, he saw that he was upright and in a small room filled with machinery and other paraphernalia, some of which had blinking lights and some of which appeared to be turned off. Also, somewhat surprisingly, one side of the room at the edge of his vision was taken up by three large cages. Deoxys detected movement inside of them, though he couldn't tell anything else.

Deoxys struggled to move, but couldn't. Attempting to use his psychic powers to break free, his eyes glowed momentarily before weakness overcame him and the light faded.

"You tried to escape. I told you that you could not, but you tried anyway. So this is what happens." The voice came from behind Deoxys. He struggled to turn his head but couldn't.

"Don't try to break out this time," the voice continued. "This machine will constantly drain your energy enough to prevent you from escaping while also keeping you alive."

"Why do you still keep me alive?" Deoxys stopped trying to move and instead stared forward.

"I thought I told you that answer already. We need you alive so we can create more of you."

Deoxys closed his eyes wearily. "What happens when you don't need me anymore?"

"Once we have enough copies, you will die. As soon as they are complete, we can harvest parts from them instead of you."

Deoxys processed this and then found that he wasn't even angry anymore, only sad. _Mew… And Avari…_

Suddenly, he felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his upper right tentacle. When he tried to move it, it didn't respond.

~.~

It was a tall Pokemon, with yellow and brown fur. It stood on two legs, and in each three-fingered hand was a metal spoon. It had an animal-like snout and two large triangular ears, in addition to a strange moustache-like growth of whiskers from each side of its face. It stared at Brandon and Halle.

"Alakazam, Psychic," Saturn commanded. The yellow and brown Pokemon, called Alakazam, paused for a moment before its eyes glowed, surrounding Halle in a purple light. Halle was immobilized.

"Brandon, we can't keep this up," Jirachi said from behind, sounding strained. Brandon thought for a moment, glancing around worriedly.

Suddenly, several glowing green objects flew through the air at Alakazam, hitting it and knocking it over. Halle was released.

"Double-Edge!" Brandon instructed quickly, before glancing in the direction of the source of the flying green objects. To his surprise, he saw Shaymin a few feet away, facing them.

Halle jumped into the air, and Alakazam glanced upward before moving aside, dodging neatly. Then Alakazam was struck as Shaymin released several more glowing leaves from the vegetation on her back. Alakazam turned toward Shaymin, then was knocked to the ground by Halle.

Jumping back to its feet and moving away, Alakazam's eyes glowed again. But this time, it was Kaden and not Halle who was surrounded by the aura. Kaden, who was still facing away from the battle, felt his mind being invaded by Saturn's Pokemon and broke off his attack on Toxicroak to fight away Alakazam.

Jirachi, suddenly losing Kaden's support, was caught off guard, and Toxicroak was released. Dashing back toward the group, Toxicroak was there in a matter of seconds, lashing toward Jirachi with one sharp red middle finger.

Jirachi floated sideways, dodging, as behind him Halle tackled Alakazam again, causing Kaden to be released as the creature's focus was broken. Kaden turned, opening his mouth and spewing flames at Alakazam.

Jirachi suddenly found himself outmatched by Toxicroak, as he didn't have enough time to concentrate on a psychic attack while dodging the creature's swipes and punches. It was all he could do to avoid being hit, but he was tiring quickly.

Then Toxicroak lashed out again, and this time Jirachi was too slow. He felt the tip of the other Pokemon's middle finger scratch his shoulder as he cried out and was knocked to the ground.

Saturn saw this and laughed. "Even a scratch from Toxicroak will kill almost anything in under ten seconds."

Jirachi paled, then rolled away as Toxicroak's fist smashed into the ground where he had been, creating an inch-deep crater as it pulled out.

"Halle, Earthquake!" Brandon called to his Pokemon. Halle raised its fists to strike at the ground again.

Then, on the grass nearby, Shaymin flashed green.


	42. Heatran

Chapter 42 – Heatran

**Chapter 42 – Heatran**

"We have located the target, sir."

A figure stood in a dark room, shrouded in shadows. Two glowing red eyes stared at the screen on the wall in front of them. After a moment, the figure answered in an echoing, eerie voice. "Where?"

"At the foot of Stark Mountain, in the southeastern quadrant."

"So Uxie did not lie this time… It's a pity he was killed."

"What?!"

"Describe the target and all companions."

After a moment, the voice came from the speakers embedded in the wall next to the screen again. "There was one Mew, which I assumed to be the target. With it were a human and two Pokemon." There was a pause here, and when the figure did not speak, the voice continued. "I searched for a visual match to the human, and I believe that it was Brandon, the former Sinnoh League Champion. The other two were a Latios, and one that I could not identify at first. When I searched for a match, though, I found that it matched descriptions in ancient texts of Jirachi, the Wish Granter."

The shadowed figure was silent for several more moments before replying. "This is excellent news. If Jirachi is awake now, it may allow my plan to run more smoothly… Alert all subordinates that there is another target, Jirachi. I want it captured, not terminated. Provide them with descriptions of Jirachi. But note that the main target is still the young Mew. I need the Mew, though it would work better if I had them both."

.

After we had been going up the mountain for about an hour, shielding our eyes from the ash falling from the sky, Kaden stopped. "What are we looking for?"

The rest of us stopped and turned to him. I thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Jirachi suddenly shifted his gaze to something to one side and exclaimed, "Look!" He pointed to it.

We glanced in that direction, and noticed that there was a small cave mouth in the rock face. Turning toward it, I inspected it. "How did we miss it?"

"Could that be what we're looking for?" Kaden mused, approaching it. I followed him, and Jirachi and Brandon came after me.

Staring into it, I saw a large cavern, filled with rocks and ledges. On the other side of the cavern I could barely see a dark opening leading farther on, apparently deeper into the mountain. My vision was limited by the gloom that filled the room like smoke.

"It could be," I said apprehensively, my fear of dark places rising within me.

"There's nothing else much on this mountain," Brandon stated thoughtfully. "Only the crater, which is filled with lava. But the caverns inside have never been fully explored."

"Should we try and see what we can find in there?" Jirachi asked, then glanced at me. "Or should we look somewhere else?" he asked meaningfully.

After a moment, I answered, shaking my head. "No, let's look there first."

Jirachi glanced into the cavern, then at me. He hesitated before replying. "Alright."

We entered the dark and gloomy cavern.

.

Crystal glanced over as Azelf shifted. Floating into the air and moving nearer to him, she saw him open his eyes and glance around. Crystal glanced back at Latias, who was sleeping uncomfortably due to the cords still wrapped around her, and the wound in her side. Deciding not to wake the red and white Pokemon, she floated over to Azelf.

Azelf looked up at her wearily. "Who are you?"

"My name is Crystal. Are you alright?"

Azelf tried to sit up, then flinched and laid back on the floor. "Ow. I'm fine now, but I'm still…" He trailed off, closing his eyes momentarily and then reopening them. "Where am I?"

Crystal glanced at their surroundings, then shrugged. "I don't know. But I've been here for as long as I can remember."

Azelf glanced at her in surprise. "As long as you can remember? How long is that?"

"Almost a day."

"What?"

"I can't remember anything before that… Someone else, who said his name was Uxie, was here before, and he told me he wiped my memory."

Azelf coughed. "Uxie was here? How? Why? Where is he?"

"I don't know why." Crystal's voice became somber. "But he's dead."

Azelf's eyes widened. "What?! How did that… What happened?!"

Crystal felt her eyes begin to fill with tears at the memory. "A human came and tried to kill me, but Uxie saved me, and he was killed instead."

Azelf stared at her in shock, before closing his eyes. After several long moments, he spoke. "Uxie is the Being of Knowledge, the source of all knowledge. If he were dead, all knowledge would cease to exist."

Crystal looked at him confusedly, not sure what to say. Azelf continued. "Since that hasn't happened, either he isn't dead or his role has been taken on by someone else." Opening his eyes, he stared upward at the ceiling. "For his sake, I hope it's not the latter."

Crystal blinked, then turned and stared at her hands. "I do, too."

.

After we wandered around in the interior of Stark Mountain for a long while, Brandon noted that it was probably dark by now. We agreed with him, then set about to exit the caverns.

Which was when we discovered that we were lost. "I think this place is familiar," I observed apprehensively, staring around through the darkness at the rock around me.

"Then we should be on the right track!" Kaden proclaimed cheerfully, though I sensed that it was only an act.

I shook my head despondently. "No, I didn't mean that. We've been through here before in the last five minutes." I glanced around apprehensively.

Suddenly, a large shadow near me moved, and I screamed. Floating away from it quickly, I stared fearfully in its direction.

"What's wrong?" Jirachi immediately asked, concernedly. I glanced at him, then returned my gaze to the shadows.

"Something _moved_," I whispered.

Kaden turned toward me, then glanced at the darkness around us. "Are you sure it wasn't…"

Then two orange eyes opened in the darkness, staring directly at me. I screamed again, flying backward to hide behind the first familiar person I saw, which was Jirachi. The others backed away from the eyes apprehensively.

The eyes followed me, then moved forward as the creature they were attached to did so. After a moment, a bright light flared into life beyond the eyes, momentarily blinding me.

Once I could see again, I looked up at its source and gasped.

In front of us was a creature which was about as large as Kaden, had four legs, and was covered in grey, orange and red skin. The orange and red portions may or may not have actually been flesh, since they glowed and were the source of the light. Its head was connected directly to its body without a neck, and it had two grey spikes protruding from it, one on each side. Each foot had four toes, one on each of the four sides. Its face was grey, and in the middle of it were the two glowing orange eyes. Several small, grey, circular tooth-like objects rimmed its mouth.

We stared at it in astonishment and apprehension for several moments, before Brandon spoke. "Heatran!"

"Heatran?" Jirachi asked confusedly.

"It's called Heatran. It's supposed to be the living embodiment of a volcano's power." Brandon stared at the creature he called Heatran, which stared at him in return. "No one thought it existed."

Heatran opened its mouth and emitted a low, wheezing sound. It managed to sound silly and intimidating at the same time; as in if you laughed you would get hurt.

I concentrated on it and entered its mind. For a moment, I sensed no thoughts there, but then one came suddenly. _The Mew, it's the Mew Celebi told us about! But how to talk to it, and what about the others? There were no others mentioned!_

I became confused by this. Celebi had been here? I was expected? And most of all, who was "us"? But I managed to glean one thing, and that was that, judging from its thoughts, the creature was female.

"Hello?" I spoke to her telepathically.

_What?_ Heatran turned her head to stare at me. After a moment, it thought an answer, which I picked up. _You're psychic. Ah, I suppose I should have expected that, you being a Mew… I need you to come with me._

"Why?"

_We've been waiting for you. We have something to give to you._

"Who is 'we'?"

_My brother and I. My name is Heatra, by the way._

"Oh." I processed this. "My name is Avari."

_A pleasure to meet you._ Heatra glanced around at Brandon, Kaden, and Jirachi, who I noticed were watching me curiously while at the same time watching Heatra guardedly. _Who are they?_

I glanced around at them, breaking off my connection with Heatra so I could say to them, "Don't worry, she's a friend."

"She?" Brandon looked surprised, glancing at Heatra.

"Yes, her name is Heatra."

"Oh."

I reestablished my contact with Heatra and introduced my friends. After I finished, she turned and thought to me, _Follow me_.

I nodded, and we followed as she walked off, making no noise in the echoing cavern.


	43. Magma Stone

Chapter 43 – Magma Stone

**Chapter 43 – Magma Stone**

Eventually, Heatra stopped. Opening her mouth, she emitted a wheezing sound. This sound was answered by another, which echoed around the cavern and made it difficult to pinpoint its source.

Then, a shadowy object nearby which I had thought to be a rock lit up, revealing a creature that was almost identical to Heatra. The differences were that this second one had deep red eyes rather than orange ones, and different patterns on its skin. Staring at us for a moment as we stared at it, it moved closer and inspected us.

I contacted its mind. After a moment, I felt its thoughts and realized that they were directed at me. _So you are the one we were informed of… I am Heatro, one of the keepers of this mountain. Who are you?_

"My name is Avari." I got the impression that Heatro was male.

_I see. Heatra and I are the original Heatran, tied to this volcano since the dawn of the world. We guard the Magma Stone, the treasure of the mountain. We have been told to give it to you._

I was surprised. "Why? By who?"

_By Celebi, the forest guardian. Come._

Heatro turned and began to walk off. Breaking off the contact, I turned to my friends and gestured for them to follow. Nodding but seeming somewhat confused, they followed. Heatra came after them.

We didn't go very far before Heatro stopped. In front of him was a wall, with some boulders and rocks leaning against it. Raising one four-toed, cross-shaped foot, he nudged one of the boulders, and it slid aside easily. This revealed an entranceway to a room beyond, through which bright orange light was spilling. Nothing else could be seen through the light.

Heatro paused and glanced back at me. I reestablished my contact with him.

_This is where the Magma Stone is kept. Do not touch it, until the time is right. We cannot give it to you now, we will wait until tomorrow. When it is removed, the volcano will erupt, and I do not believe that you wish to be here when that happens. After taking it, you will have to leave quickly. It is best that you rest here before doing so._

"What exactly is it?" I asked, confused by this.

_The life of the volcano. It both keeps the volcano active while keeping it from erupting._

I thought for a moment, before realizing something. "You said before that you were tied to the volcano."

_We are. It is our purpose to guard the Magma Stone until the one comes who will receive it. That is you._ Heatro turned to me and watched me for several moments, before closing his eyes. _Once it is removed, the mountain will erupt and then become dormant. When that has happened… We will no longer be needed._

I was appalled. "What will happen to you? Will you just… die?"

Opening his eyes, Heatro stared at me again. _No, we will simply fall asleep until the volcano becomes active once again. Do not worry for us, we have already accepted our fate. And much worse things will come to pass if it is not done…_

As the thought drifted away, I broke the contact and turned to my friends, deciding not to tell them of this new complication. They watched me and glanced at the blinding light pouring through the entranceway Heatro had uncovered.

"It's the Magma Stone," I told them, "that keeps the volcano from erupting and from being dormant. We're supposed to take it, but not until tomorrow because the volcano will erupt then. And we don't necessarily want to be going anywhere in the dark."

Heatro pushed the boulder back into place, sealing off the light and making us all blink at the sudden semi-darkness. After a moment, he turned back to me and looked at me. I looked into his eyes, and saw some sadness there.

I contacted him again, and he thought to me, _You may stay here tonight. The sunlight will come into this place when it is morning._

I nodded. "Thank you." Then I added sadly, "I'm sorry," before ending the contact. Heatro nodded and began to walk away. Heatra began to follow him, then stopped and glanced back at us. After a moment, she continued walking.

The lights on their bodies vanished, plunging us into darkness. I heard noises from the darkness around me, then Jirachi asked, "What now?"

"We go to sleep. I'm tired." I yawned and landed on the stone floor, curling up and finding it more comfortable than it appeared.

.

Latias woke and opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. To her mixed relief and disappointment, they were the same as before. She could barely make out Azelf still lying on the floor in the same spot, and Crystal floating absently around the room. Crystal saw Latias and floated over to her.

"Has he woken up?" Latias inquired, glancing at Azelf. He appeared to be sleeping.

Crystal nodded. "Yes. He appeared to be much better, and was able to talk to me. He's sleeping now." At that moment, Azelf's voice broke in.

"I'm not sleeping. I'm just tired."

Surprised, Crystal glanced at him before turning back to Latias. She shrugged. "All right, he's not sleeping now."

"What happened to you?" Latias asked him.

"I spent the past week in a torture machine." Both the female Pokemon turned to him and widened their eyes. He opened his eyes, glancing at them wearily. "It wasn't fun."

"Why?" Latias gasped.

"Some human wanted me to help him kill some other Pokemon, but I refused. So, after a week, they gave up and threw me in here to rot."

After several moments of silence, Crystal asked, "Why are they keeping us here? It would be easy to kill us if they didn't have a use for us."

Azelf closed his eyes and sighed. "There are two possible answers to that question. Either they have some way of forcing us to help them…"

Latias realized what the other possibility was. "…Or we're hostages," she finished.

.

We ate some food that Brandon produced, then settled down to sleep. I took a while to get to sleep, since the darkness made me nervous. After a while, though, my eyes adjusted, and I could make out the shapes of my companions.

"What's wrong?"

I glanced at the vague shape of Jirachi, who was sitting up and facing me. His eyes gleamed through the darkness.

"Nothing. Why?"

"You're not sleeping. Is it because…" I saw him gesture at our surroundings.

Understanding what he meant, I answered. "It's dark? Yes."

There was a pause. Then, "Don't worry. I'm here."

I glanced at the shadows around us, and then back at him. "Thank you." Blushing slightly, I continued a moment later. "…Jirachi?"

"Yes?"

I hesitated. "Um… Since I don't really know you, and you don't really know me… I was wondering if…" I took a breath. "When this is all over, if you want to sort of… go somewhere and, you know, socialize, get to know each other." I wasn't sure why I was saying this, but after I said it, my face became hotter.

There were several moments of silence, and I didn't detect any movement from Jirachi. Finally, he answered. "…You mean like… just sort of hang out? Alone?"

I nodded shyly. "…Yes…"

"…Alright."

Suddenly Kaden spoke into my head. "So you finally asked him out on a date, huh?"

I paled and then blushed furiously, turning in Kaden's direction and glaring at him, even though he couldn't see me. "What?! Shut up, go away."

The vague shape that was Kaden floated into the air, moving away from me. "All right, I'll let you be alone with your boyfriend."

I rose into the air, tail twitching. My face heated up even more. "I said shut up. Be quiet and go to sleep." I had a serious urge to Mega Punch him to the moon.

Kaden snickered and settled back onto the floor. "Fine, then."

I glanced back at Jirachi, who was still staring at me. He turned away quickly and laid back down on the floor.

Glaring at Kaden one last time, I alighted on the floor again and curled up. I quickly fell asleep.


	44. Messages

Chapter 44 – Messages

**Chapter 44 – Messages**

A cloaked figure watched a tall, shadowed shape that reached high into the sky. The figure was partially shielded from sight behind a tree, watching and waiting.

_This is where the disturbance will end. What I sensed is here._

Another figure stood on the top of the building, surveying the city that lay below, wrapped in sleep. After several moments, it turned at a noise behind it.

"Who are you?" a voice asked in its mind.

"I am Deoxytwo. Who are you?" A cloaked figure appeared before it, materializing from the night.

"I did not ask for your name. Who are you?"

Deoxytwo stared for several moments. A faint purple gleam could be seen from the shadows that covered the other figure. "I am created from another creature, grown from a sample. Why do you ask?"

"I sensed your confusion. What is your purpose?"

Blinking, Deoxytwo answered, "To make my own name."

"And how do you plan to accomplish this?"

"By destroying the creature that spawned me. I was given his name, I do not have my own."

The cloaked figure turned away, staring out over the trees. "I am similar to you. Once, I thought the same way. But then I learned. Even by doing that, you will still be the same. Names mean nothing."

"What do you know? Who are you?"

"I already told you." With that, the other figure flashed and vanished.

.

I woke gradually, drifting out of sleep. Something soft and warm was on top of me. Yawning and opening my eyes, I glanced at it blearily. It was a long, yellow, flat something. Blinking to clear my eyes, I followed it from one end to the other…

And immediately snapped awake, shifting quickly out from under it. It was one of the ribbons attached to Jirachi's back, and he was _right next to me_. I blushed, my face burning, and glanced around the cavern. A little light came in through the cracks, so I could see at least somewhat.

Jirachi woke, turning over and sitting up. He glanced at me, seeing that I was breathing heavily and floating a few feet away, and I looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice the color of my face.

"Oh, sorry. You were shivering," he apologized sheepishly. I glanced at him and saw that his face was also a little red.

"Oh. Thank you." My blush deepened, and I glanced at the two others of our party. _Thank goodness Kaden isn't awake yet._

Then I froze as a familiar voice came from behind me. "…Am I intruding on anything?"

I slowly turned, then stared at the green fairy hovering behind me. After a moment, my brain sorted out an answer. "Um, well… Uh, no…"

Celebi smiled. "Good." She glanced at Jirachi, who stared at her. "I have a message for you, Avari."

My face returning (mostly) to its normal color, I asked, "From who?"

Celebi instantly froze, except for her wings, of course. For several seconds, she didn't move anything else or respond. Finally, she answered. "I'm not sure if I can say… I wasn't given any instruction for that. I would say, but I don't know if… This isn't…"

I waited, confused. Finally she said, "I don't want to tell you, just in case… so I'll just give you the message." After an appropriate pause, she continued. "Travel to Mount Coronet once the heat is taken from the mountain."

I stared. "What?"

Shrugging, Celebi turned. "I don't know what it means. But good luck." Glancing back at me, she added, smiling mischievously, "It looks like I'll have something to tell your mother when she wakes up." She glanced then at Jirachi.

Jirachi and I both turned red as Celebi flew away into the cave.

.

Latias opened her eyes, shivering. She couldn't sleep very well, because of the damp chill of the cell and the thick black cords that immobilized her and rubbed her feathers the wrong way. Her arms were hurting from being in the same position too long, and she felt hungry and thirsty, as well. And that was without mentioning the half-healed gouge in her side and the fact that she was sore and completely stiff.

Glancing around the cell, Latias saw that her two cellmates were both asleep. Either that, or doing a good job of pretending. Straining against her bonds in frustration, Latias soon gave out, relaxing again and breathing heavily.

Then a sliding noise came from behind her, and before she could react she felt something sharp prick her skin on her back. Crying out telepathically, she tried to move, but found that she suddenly was tired. She fell limply to the floor, eyes clouding over.

Latias felt herself being picked up and carried, but was too weary to do anything about it or even care. Light suddenly filled her vision, and she closed her eyes as it blinded her after the darkness of the cell.

Then she registered voices, but didn't really understand them. "Good, now let's get these off."

Dimly Latias was aware of the thick cords being pulled off her, and even though it was uncomfortable because they were ruffling her feathers, she didn't care. Soon they were all off, and she instinctively stretched her arms.

Then opening her eyes partway, she glanced up and through a fuzzy haze saw a human face, looking at her. The voices came again.

"I thought you said it was knocked out."

"It is, I shot it myself."

"Then why is it looking at me?"

"I don't know. Give it more, the dosage must have been off."

Latias felt another prick, this time on one wing, and then everything went black.

.

Once both Kaden and Brandon woke a short time later, Heatra and Heatro appeared. Heatra glanced at me, and I opened contact between our minds.

_Your friends will need to wait at the foot of the mountain. Once they are there, you may take the Magma Stone. Be ready to flee as quickly as possible when the volcano erupts._

I nodded, then broke the contact and said to Kaden, Jirachi, and Brandon, "You all need to go down the mountain and wait."

"What about you?" Jirachi asked, looking worried.

"I'll be fine, I'm the one who needs to take it."

"But the volcano will erupt… How will you get out?"

I glanced at Heatra and Heatro. They stared at me impassively. After a moment, Heatra nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." After a short hesitation, Jirachi, Brandon, and Kaden nodded. Heatro moved forward, walking past them. They turned to stare after him, and he glanced back at me, stopping.

I entered his mind. _I will show your friends the way to the outside, and once they are off the mountain, I will return._

Breaking the link, I related this to my companions, who nodded and silently followed after him as he began to move off again. I landed on the floor and sat, waiting for him to come back.

.

Crystal spun as a panel in the wall of her prison slid open. A large object dropped through it and into the cell, followed by three much smaller objects. All of them hit the ground with a thump.

Floating quickly over as the panel slid shut once again, Crystal saw that the large object was Latias. Feeling relieved, she watched as Latias shifted and woke, groaning.

Latias opened her eyes and tried to move, only to discover that she couldn't. Raising her head and glancing backward slightly, she saw that she was still wrapped in thick cords. Only now they were silver instead of black.

"Ow…" Latias blinked and glanced at her surroundings, groaning when she realized where she was.

"You're alright," Crystal observed. "I was worried when I woke up and you weren't there…"

Latias flinched as the new silver cords bit into her. "Ow, they hurt." She shifted and then flinched again as the cords bit into her even more. In addition, she was bothered by the fact that her feathers were all ruffled, and she couldn't straighten them out.

Crystal approached and inspected the cords. "They're a different color now." She then pulled experimentally on one.

Latias gasped as the cord that was pulled suddenly tightened, squeezing her and making it difficult for her to breathe. Crystal cried out in surprise, too.

Gasping for breath, Latias glanced at Crystal, who appeared to still be holding the cord. After a moment, Crystal said, "Ow, my hand." Latias realized that Crystal's hand was trapped between her and the cord.

Crystal tugged on her hand, and then both winced as the cord tightened. Latias raggedly gulped air. "I can't breathe. Stop it, please…"

Crystal glanced at her, then sighed. "I guess we'll be stuck like this for a while…"


	45. Eruption

Chapter 45 – Eruption

**Chapter 45 – Eruption**

After waiting for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a couple hours, Heatro returned. He glanced at Heatra and me.

Linking our minds again, I picked up his thoughts. _They are waiting at the foot of the mountain. Now come._

He looked at Heatra and made another wheezing sound. She turned and pushed the same boulder that he had last night, and like before it slid aside. The blinding orange light spilled through.

Heatra entered the cavern beyond, and I followed, shielding my eyes.

.

Two red and green glowing eyes appeared, floating above the transparent surface under them. A deep, rumbling voice called out. "Darkrai."

A shadowy figure materialized, bowing. "Yes, sir?"

"Do you have anything to report?"

Darkrai nodded nervously. "The younger Mew has obtained the relics from both Regirock and Regice, sir. Currently, she is in the act of obtaining the Magma Stone."

"Good. Now, there is only one relic left, then the final two pieces will fall into place…"

Darkrai glanced around, then bowed again. "Is there anything else you require?"

"Keep watch on the Mew, and bring me reports periodically. If you have any orders from your other master that conflict with mine, remember that you are bound to do my will. You are dismissed."

Darkrai swallowed and bowed again. "Very well, sir."

Then, a small green winged Pokemon entered the long hallway. Immediately Celebi's eyes locked onto Darkrai. He turned to glance at her in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Celebi asked incredulously. "No one has seen you for months…"

Darkrai faded away without answering.

Confused, Celebi flew closer to the floating red and green eyes and bowed. "I have delivered your messages, sir."

"That is good."

"Do you have any other tasks for me?" Celebi asked, hoping the answer would be no.

"Yes." Celebi almost groaned in frustration, but she knew even that would have dire consequences. "Find Zapdos in the eastern Kanto region, and tell him to come here."

"Kanto?!" Celebi immediately regretted saying this, clamping her mouth closed.

"Do not question my orders." The eyes flashed, and Celebi cringed, backing away. After a moment of silence, the voice spoke again. "If you feel that you cannot complete this task, I may assign you a different one…"

Celebi shook her head furiously. "No, I'm fine with it, sir. I can do that."

The eyes regarded her emotionlessly for several seconds, as Celebi fidgeted nervously. Then the voice spoke. "Come closer."

Celebi froze. "Why?"

"Are you questioning my orders again? I believe that I may have been too lenient with you. Come closer."

Celebi moved nearer to the floating eyes, trembling with fear. _Me and my huge mouth._

"Come closer."

Celebi closed her eyes, flying closer to the eyes a distance. Apprehensively, she wondered what was going to happen. _Why me?_

"Come closer."

Continuing her flight path, she opened her eyes. Right in front of her were the two glowing red and green eyes.

A large black hole appeared under them, and the hole and the eyes moved toward her. The black hole encompassed her, and everything went dark.

.

As soon as I entered the room, the light dimmed, and I glanced around at my surroundings in awe.

The walls and ceiling appeared to be made of lava. Not cooled lava, but hot, swirling lava. Somehow, it was kept from collapsing into the room.

But in the center of the room, on a raised rock platform, was a small, glowing, mostly orange rock. It was shiny, both giving off its own light and reflecting other lights. Orange, red and black moved in patterns on its surface, throbbing as if it was alive. I instinctively knew that it was the Magma Stone I had come for.

Heatra moved aside, allowing me to pass by. Curious, I reached out to one wall, but stopped when Heatra shook her head. I contacted her mind.

"How is this possible?" I asked, gesturing at the walls.

_The power of the Magma Stone created this chamber. Once it is removed, it will collapse. Another reason why you should be ready to move quickly._

I nodded and approached the pedestal. The Magma Stone flashed, the swirling patterns accelerating, as if it sensed my presence. For all I knew, maybe it did.

Then I noticed something. Lava flowed in a narrow river on the floor, from the walls and into one side of the pedestal, then out the other side and back into the walls. I pointed to it. "Why is that there? If the other lava is kept out, why not that?"

_The mountain is a living being. The Magma Stone is its heart. Lava and magma are its blood, flowing into the heart and being pumped back into the body._

"Oh." I glanced at the river again, then turned my gaze to the Magma Stone. It pulsed with light regularly, indeed reminding me of a beating heart. "Is it alright to take it, then?"

_That does not matter. You must take it, regardless._

I hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched the Magma Stone.

I flinched, expecting to be burned, since it looked so hot. But I only felt slight warmth radiating from it. Surprised, I touched it with my other paw, then picked it up.

Immediately, its glow faded. I had to jerk away as lava spouted from the top of the pedestal, which was revealed to have a hole in it right where the Magma Stone had been.

_Go, now! It has started, now nothing can stop it._

The floor of the cavern shuddered violently. The pedestal in its center began to glow red and melt away as lava coursed through it. Turning to glance at Heatra, I made eye contact with her. "Thank you."

Heatra closed her eyes, and the luminous red and orange patches of her skin stopped glowing and changed color to gray. I picked up a final thought right before my telepathic connection with her was cut off abruptly. _Thank you… Good luck, Avari…_

Lava began pouring from the ceiling and walls, narrowly missing me. Taking my cue, I sped through the entranceway. Once through, I encountered Heatro, also turned gray and lifeless.

But I didn't have time to dwell on that, for at that moment, lava spilled through the opening after me, and I moved away, glancing around. Lava was beginning to enter the cavern through cracks, and its luminescence allowed me to see enough to find my way. Vaguely recognizing the way out, I flew through the large cavern, carrying the Magma Stone in my paws.

The mountain shuddered again, and in the echoing caverns within it the noise sounded eerily like a breath. Glancing backward, I saw that the way I had come was now completely sealed off as the lava filled it and hardened. Then I looked up ahead of me, and noticed a large pile of rocks blocking my path.

Immediately, and without slowing down, I activated my psychic attack, eyes glowing as a purple light surrounded the rocks. I lifted one near the top with my mind, moving it to one side and creating a small hole. Quickly moving another, I managed to make a hole large enough for me to fit through.

I darted into the hole, then cried out telepathically as more rocks collapsed on top of me, effectively trapping me. A faint crunching noise came from behind me, and I gasped as agonizing pain exploded from my left leg.

My eyes glowed as I tried to move the rocks with my psychic powers, but I couldn't concentrate due to the pain. Once my eyes stopped glowing, I dropped the Magma Stone into the cavern in front of me and began struggling wildly.

The rumbling came again, only this time I felt it. I screamed telepathically as my left leg was jarred, though I still didn't know what was wrong with it. I could take a good guess, though.

Rocks, broken loose by the rumbling, showered me. But unfortunately, none of the ones trapping me were knocked loose. And even more unfortunately, a crack opened in a wall nearby, lava spilling through.

I watched helplessly as the lava began to slowly fill the small cavern. And that was just in the one I could see, I was also trapped halfway in another room that I couldn't see, so who knew what was happening there.

Resignedly, I closed my eyes and waited, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much.


	46. Moltres

Chapter 46 – Moltres

**Chapter 46 – Moltres**

"Are you alright?" Crystal asked worriedly, noticing that Latias was starting to turn slightly blue.

Latias shook her head, trying to suck in as much air as possible. "No, I can't breathe…"

Crystal continued to slowly slide her stuck hand out from under the silver cord, wincing occasionally. "I don't know how to loosen them, but there has to be a way…"

The cord suddenly loosened, and Latias suddenly gasped as the blood flow that was cut off rushed back into the back half of her body, very painfully. Crystal removed her hand, experiencing the same thing on a smaller scale, and winced before turning back to Latias.

Latias twitched in discomfort, unable to do anything else. After a moment, the pain died down, and she collapsed limply, with her eyes closed and breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, are you alright now?" Crystal moved forward in concern.

Latias opened one eye and glanced at her. "What do you think?"

Crystal glanced at the now loosened silver cords. "I think you can breathe now."

"Yes. Air is good." Latias shifted slightly at the tingling sensation that now replaced the pain.

Crystal suddenly realized the significance of that statement. _Air…_ "Wait, how is there air in here?"

Latias glanced at her confusedly, while trying to ignore the tingling of her body. "What?"

Gesturing around the small room, Crystal said, "This place is completely sealed off, but there's air in here. The air has to come from somewhere, so…"

Latias caught on. "If there's a vent or something, we could get out that way!" Immediately after saying this, she winced as she shifted, making the cords tighten.

Crystal glanced at her in concern, then at the walls around them. "But where—"

She never finished that sentence, for the next moment, a panel in a wall slid open. Before anyone could react, she was struck by a small, sharp object, and immediately collapsed.

.

I became suddenly aware of intense pain in my left leg as the stones above me shifted. I screamed again, as my eyes flew open, focusing on a blue and white dragon.

"I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt," Kaden said apologetically, as his eyes glowed and the rocks above me shifted slightly. I braced myself as the pain came again.

"What are you doing…" I barely managed to say. "Where are… argh…"

Jirachi floated into view, eyes glowing as well. "We decided to come back." The stones shifted some more, and I realized suddenly that I could move again.

But when I tried to float into the air, pain exploded from my left leg once again, and I screamed before collapsing back to the pile of rocks. Jirachi and Kaden both approached me, and I saw them wince as they glanced at something behind me.

Their eyes both flashed again, and I felt myself being lifted into the air. Glancing around, I noticed the Magma Stone, floating on the surface of the lava.

"The Magma Stone." I pointed to it and glanced at my friends, who turned to look at it. Instantly I felt myself begin sinking, but quickly they turned back and steadied me.

Kaden and Jirachi glanced at each other for a second, before Kaden flew down and grabbed the Magma Stone from the lava. Quickly returning and adding his powers to Jirachi's again, he said, "Alright, let's go now."

As I felt myself begin to move through the air, I closed my eyes in relief, and fell asleep.

.

Jirachi continued to focus on keeping Avari in the air, and noticed that she was asleep. "She fell asleep."

Kaden glanced at him. "No wonder, just look at that." He gestured at Avari's left leg, which was twisted painfully.

Jirachi flinched. "I already did. And you're right, I guess that would make anyone pass out."

"There's the exit." Kaden pointed to a point of light in front of them.

Jirachi nodded, then was startled as the mountain rumbled again, boulders rolling and shifting and rocks breaking from the ceiling. Lava flowed from a crack in the cavern wall, narrowly missing Kaden.

Unfortunately, this broke their concentration, and the purple light that had surrounded Avari disappeared. She fell a few feet before they quickly caught her again.

"That was too close," Jirachi said, breathing heavily.

Nodding, Kaden agreed, "Yeah, let's get out. This entire place is going to blow any minute. Either that or any second."

About ten seconds later, they emerged into the sunlight, blinking. Then they jerked away, surprised, as a large, yellow, flaming bird-like Pokemon rose from behind a rocky outcropping to hover before them.

It was slightly larger than Kaden, with a brown beak and two brown talons. The rest of its body was covered in yellow feathers, but it also appeared to be on fire in some places. These places were the top of its head, its tail, and its wings. However, the flames did not appear to bother it as it hovered, flapping its huge flaming wings.

For a moment, Jirachi and Kaden wondered if it was friendly, but when the mountain rumbled behind them, they both decided that the bird would be the lesser of two evils if it wasn't. Jirachi's eyes flashed, as he went into its mind.

_Why are they just standing – er, floating – there, the place is going to explode. What are—_ It cut off as it sensed his mind. _What are— You're psychic, I understand. My name is Moltres, grab onto me and hold on._

Jirachi started to reply confusedly. "What do you—"

_Hurry! The volcano will erupt soon._ A small flaming rock suddenly fell from the sky, bouncing down the mountainside nearby.

Jirachi quickly explained the situation to Kaden, and soon afterward Jirachi was holding onto Moltres with one arm and Avari with the other as the fire bird took off. Kaden flew alongside them. Jirachi was careful not to touch the fire, though Moltres had told him it wouldn't hurt them.

After a few seconds, Avari's eyes flew open.

.

I woke to wind rushing past my face. A moment later, the pain came, exploding from my leg.

I screamed, glancing down at my leg. I saw two things.

First of all, my left leg was twisted in a way that shouldn't have been possible. Second, I was dangling thousands of feet in the air. I wasn't sure which sight upset me more.

"It's all right, hold on," Jirachi said from above, and I realized that he was holding my paw with his hand. Immediately after realizing this, I realized that that was the only thing keeping me from falling to my death.

I quickly grabbed onto him with my other arm, pulling myself up so I could hold onto him with both arms. After realizing what I was doing, he let go of me and held onto whatever we were riding with both arms as well. Which brings me to what we were riding.

It was a large, yellow bird, with flames sprouting from certain points on its body. I instantly became alarmed. "What is this?"

Jirachi understood and answered without turning. "It's Moltres."

I remembered the name. "Oh." Wincing in pain, and then turning my head to glance behind me, I saw the mountain. As I watched, it shuddered, red, glowing lava pouring from cracks and holes in its surface.

After a few seconds, it exploded, lava and rocks spouting from the crater at its peak and flying high into the air. And as this happened, I thought I detected a faint wheezing sound. But it might have just been my imagination.


	47. Injuries

Chapter 47 – Injuries

**Chapter 47 – Injuries**

Crystal woke slowly, groaning at the stiffness of her body. Opening her eyes, she glanced around and saw that she was in the same cell as before. Latias was nearby, watching worriedly.

"Are you alright?" Latias asked.

Crystal tried to sit up, only to be stopped by the silver cords wrapped around her. She glanced at them in surprise. "What are these… How did this happen?"

"Some humans came and took you out, and when they brought you back, you were wearing those. I'm sorry."

Crystal groaned and tried to wriggle out of them, only for them to tighten as Latias's had. Luckily, her body and arms didn't contain any vital organs, but it still hurt. "Ow. Great." She shook her head and floated into the air. "At least I can still move around, I just can't use my arms."

Latias glanced at her own arms, which were still pinned to her sides. They were stiff and uncomfortable from being in the same position too long. "It'll get to you eventually."

Sighing, Crystal landed back on the floor. "Why did they decide to do this just now?"

"I don't know. Maybe they saw you trying to help me." Latias concentrated, trying to use her psychic powers to break her bonds. Instantly, she became weak, falling limp to the floor and gasping for breath.

"What happened?" Crystal asked, watching in concern.

Latias paused for a moment to gather her strength. "I don't know. I tried to break them with my mind, but then… I don't know, I suddenly felt weak." She closed her eyes, still breathing heavily.

"With your mind?" Crystal was puzzled.

Latias remembered that Crystal had lost her memory. "Yes, I can manipulate things with my mind. Normally."

"Oh." Then Crystal asked, "Can I do that, too? I mean, I don't remember, so…"

Latias didn't open her eyes. "No, I don't think so. You have different abilities, I think."

"Oh," Crystal said again. "Like what?"

Latias coughed and then put her head back on the ground. "I don't know…" Her voice faded away weakly.

Crystal realized how tired Latias was. "Oh, that's alright. Good night, or day, or whatever."

Latias shifted uncomfortably. "Thanks… We'll get out soon." Then she dropped off to sleep.

.

I was in complete agony for the entire flight. And that was without mentioning how scared I was of heights.

"Where's Brandon?" I asked, my eyes closed, after realizing that we were still flying away from Stark Mountain.

"He said he was going to see if he could find Team Galactic," Kaden replied. "After he left, we came back to get you."

"Oh." After a few more moments, "Thanks." I then cringed as my foot bumped into Moltres.

"Hold on," Jirachi encouraged me. "I'll tell Moltres to land."

After a short time, he spoke again into my mind. "Okay, we're going to land soon."

Then my stomach dropped as we fell through the sky. Ignoring both my fear and the pain, I held on.

Several minutes later, there was a soft thump, accompanied by a jarring vibration that caused me to grit my teeth as the pain in my leg intensified. I continued holding on, even though the feeling of motion had stopped, and soon I felt myself slowly lowering.

Opening my eyes, I glanced up to see Jirachi carrying me. He landed and stopped, then gently placed me on the ground. I flinched as my left leg touched the grass.

Kaden landed next to Moltres, then floated over to me and inspected the aforementioned leg along with Jirachi. I lifted my head and glanced down at it, and saw how bent and twisted it was. Immediately, I laid my head back on the grass.

"Is it bad?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. It was one of those "well duh" questions.

"Yes. I'm sorry," Kaden said sadly. "It doesn't look like you'll ever use it again." I flinched as I felt slight pressure applied to my leg, causing pain to shoot through it.

"It looks like it's broken in several places," Jirachi observed. "If we get it back into its correct position, I might be able to heal it."

My heart leapt, until I processed the part about getting it back into its correct position. "How will you move it back?" I asked, fearing the answer.

There was silence for several moments, and I lifted my head to glance at them. They were looking at each other and glancing occasionally at my leg, and I realized that they were communicating privately. After observing this, I put my head back down resignedly, knowing that the answer would probably be one I wouldn't like.

Then Kaden spoke to me. "I'm sorry, Avari, but I'm going to have to do this." The next moment, I screamed as intense pain exploded in my leg, and I felt it twisting with a sickening crunching noise. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I reflexively grabbed at the grass with my paws, pulling it up. My back arched as pain shot through it, and my tail whipped around next to me, as I continued screaming.

Then a white glow surrounded me, and the pain faded. I relaxed gratefully, as the pain in my leg became only a memory, and closed my eyes. I slipped into a peaceful sleep the next moment.

.

The two eyes, colored red and green, flashed once. Before them, two spheres of light appeared, one small and the other much larger. The light dissipated, to reveal two very different creatures.

"Celebi, go to the Kanto region and find Zapdos. Bring him here before tomorrow."

Celebi nodded quickly, flying at record speed out of the luminous hall. The red and green eyes were left to stare at the large shadowy creature before them.

"Will you now disobey my commands, Giratina?"

The shadow stared back with glowing red eyes. "I cannot do some things."

The floating eyes flashed angrily, and the shadow moved backward slightly. "Cannot? Or will not? …No matter. There is another way… You are dismissed."

The shadow bowed and faded away.

The deep voice called out again. "Darkrai."

A single blue, glowing eye appeared, a black, white and red body fading into view around it. Darkrai bowed. "I am here, sir."

The eyes regarded him emotionlessly. "Go to the place the humans have named Snowpoint City. I think you will find it in your favor to complete the tasks I will give you there."

Darkrai swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir."

"Once you arrive, you have two tasks…"


	48. Arrival

Chapter 48 – Arrival

**Chapter 48 – Arrival**

I opened my eyes, and glanced around at my surroundings, lifting my head. I was lying in a grassy, hilly field. Nearby, Jirachi, Kaden, and Moltres were watching the clouds move across the sky, which was bright blue.

Suddenly I remembered my leg, and I glanced at it. It was back to normal. I stretched it, and when it didn't hurt except for being slightly sore, I stood up. The others noticed and turned toward me, smiling except for Moltres, who had a beak.

"Are you feeling better?" Jirachi asked, floating over to me.

I smiled, then laughed. "Yes! Thank you!" I reached out and hugged him for a moment, before letting go. His face became red, and I blushed, turning away.

After several moments, Jirachi said, sounding dazed, "That's the first time I've heard you laugh."

I glanced at him, then looked away again shyly. "Really?"

"It sounds nice." I blinked and then felt my face heat up as I processed that.

"Let's get going," Kaden said suddenly, floating over to us. "In case you forgot, Avari, your boyfriend has only a day and a half left."

I glared at him indignantly, before paling as I realized that he was right. "Celebi said we need to go to Mount Coronet. Where are we?"

"We're still on the same island, just a little farther to the west," Kaden informed me.

I established a contact with Moltres's mind. "Why are you helping us?"

_I was told to take you to Mount Coronet._

I blinked. "By who?"

_By…_ Now Moltres blinked, shifting his wings. _I cannot give that information._

"Why not?"

_Because… I cannot._

I sighed and decided to let it drop. We were going to Mount Coronet anyway. Cutting off my connection, I glanced at Kaden and Jirachi. "He's taking us to Mount Coronet, so let's go now."

.

A panel in the wall slid open, and a large object was dropped through it, hitting the floor with a metallic clang. The panel quickly slid shut again.

Crystal, Latias, and Azelf glanced over at it, having been involved in the act of eating. Dropping her dried berry and floating over to it, Crystal saw that it was a metal cage, and she peered into it curiously. Inside of it was a small, furry, white and brown Pokemon. It stared at her and growled.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Crystal floated next to the cage, watching the creature.

After a moment, it spoke. "I see, I understand. Where am I, what is this place?"

Crystal blinked and glanced back at Latias and Azelf. Latias shrugged, then regretted it as the silver cords around her tightened in response. Startled, Crystal turned and asked, "Are you alright?"

Latias winced, but nodded. "Yes."

Crystal sighed, knowing she couldn't help Latias anyway, and turned back to the cage with the creature inside. "You can talk?"

It blinked. "Yes, I can talk, I am able to speak. I am Kile, my name is Kile, who are—" Kile suddenly broke off and looked at Crystal in surprise. "Wait, hold on, you are Crystal, that is who you are! You do not recognize me, I am not familiar to you?"

After a moment, Crystal shook her head. "No, I don't remember you. I lost my memory. Did I used to know you?"

Kile nodded. "Yes, indeed, our homes were close, and we visited many times, and encountered each other." Then he looked thoughtful for a moment, saying, "I remember that you seemed to like Logan, indeed you did."

Crystal groaned and settled to the floor. "It looks like I have a lot to _re_learn…"

.

Mount Coronet came into sight as the sky began to turn orange. About an hour later, we landed.

Once I felt the jolt of the landing, I opened my eyes and let go of Jirachi, floating to the ground. He followed suit, and a moment later, Kaden landed next to us.

Contacting Moltres's mind, I said, "Thank you, Moltres."

He glanced at me, then spread his wings. _You are welcome. I was only doing my job, though I have other jobs to do. Farewell!_ With that, Moltres lifted into the sky and disappeared around the rocky side of Mount Coronet.

I glanced at our surroundings, and saw that we were on one side of Mount Coronet, below the point where the snow started. I then realized that I didn't know what we were supposed to do once we arrived.

"What now?" I asked rhetorically, glancing at the others. Jirachi shrugged, and Kaden went over to a nearby boulder and tapped it absentmindedly.

"I guess we start looking for whatever—" Kaden's sentence was cut off as the boulder he had tapped exploded. Immediately, we all cried out in surprise and moved backward. Rock showered us, and dust filled the air.

The dust cleared after a few seconds, revealing a large, shiny creature. It was colored gray and black, and was vaguely human-shaped. But where its face would be, six red dots were arranged in a circular pattern around one central dot, and I immediately thought of Regirock and the ice creature. But this one had a rounded body, with a small, skinny point connecting it to a base that was on top of two short legs. Its arms were black, with three silver fingers on each, and one red dot on each of its knuckles. From the top of its body to near the base ran a black strip that was depressed slightly, and it was in this strip that the circular arrangement of dots was located. Its entire body was slightly taller than the two other creatures that were similar to it.

It stood motionless, and we stared at it. After several moments, it said something in a monotonous, completely neutral voice that I didn't understand.

I realized that it must be like the other two. "I think this is what we came here for," I said to my friends. They nodded slightly, staring at it.

I floated closer to the black and silver creature. The red dots on its face flashed. After a moment of hesitation, I said to it telepathically, "Hello?"

"LANGUAGE CONFIRMED. VOICE MATCH CONFIRMED. VISUAL MATCH CONFIRMED. MISSION OBJECTIVE REACHED. COMMENCING MESSAGE." It spoke again in an understandable language, though its voice was still completely neutral.

After a few seconds, another figure appeared in front of it, facing us. It was a Mew. It spoke momentarily in a female telepathic voice. "Hello. My name is Avari, and if you're watching this, then it means I'm dead."


	49. Registeel

Chapter 49 – Registeel

**Chapter 49 – Registeel**

Jirachi, Kaden, and I stared in astonishment. I noticed suddenly that it was flickering, and patches of it disappeared and reappeared periodically, leading me to believe that it was an image, though it almost looked real.

Then it closed its eyes and sighed, before speaking again. "And it also means that you are the holder of the Eldest Power. I am the holder right now, but since only one living creature can be the holder at one time, I'm dead if this is playing. Registeel is programmed to only play this message for one in whom it senses the Eldest Power. I don't know why you'll be watching this, or how I'll end up dead, but that doesn't really matter." I realized that the telepathic voice was almost identical to mine.

"I'm not sure when this will be found, maybe in the far future after this time is forgotten. I think that will probably be the case, seeing as how I'm the only one who knows about Registeel, and because I feel that my life, and this era, are about to end. So, I'll explain the situation to you. Listen carefully, I don't want a repeat later in the future."

The image paused, then continued. "I did not know about my power until about a year ago. That was when a Pokemon called Tabor, who had become influential in our society, attempted to capture both me and Regigigas. Regigigas is the legendary forger of the Ancient Law, which keeps the world from destruction. Tabor planned to use Regigigas to destroy this Law and release a powerful creature that could only be tamed by my power. But we both escaped, and fled the planet. After a few months, we landed on a new planet, this planet. It is inhabited by primitive creatures only, with no technology, so I decided that it would be a good place to hide."

The image glanced at something to its left, though I could see nothing there beside rocks. "I was wrong. Tabor followed us. My followers and friends helped me to fend him and his forces off, but there were more of them. Overwhelmed, we retreated and decided on a plan of action."

We decided to hide Regigigas away, to keep Tabor looking and buy some time. So we sealed away Regigigas underground, creating three keys to wake it back up. The keys were given to three robots to guard, named after the one they protected. They are called Regice, Regirock, and Registeel. The one I am recording this on is Registeel."

After hiding the keys, we attempted to find a way to stop Tabor. But now, I am the only one left." The Mew in the image looked around sadly for a moment, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I can only hope that after I eventually die, Regigigas will be made inaccessible to Tabor."

After a second of silence, it said, "The Eldest Power will protect its holder, even while it is dormant. It will choose its holder at birth. There is no choice given. It cannot be given to another, as much as I may want to give it away. It is a mixed curse and blessing, for though it gives one protection and great power, it also will make you the target of others who desire that power. Its protection comes in many forms, usually by manipulating chance. That's why I'm the only one left alive, to my knowledge. But even that cannot last forever."

She glanced back apprehensively as a muffled tapping noise was faintly heard, coming from Registeel, the black and silver creature. I realized that Registeel was making the noise only now, and when this had been recorded, something else had been making the noise. "I don't have much longer. They'll find out where I am soon, if they haven't already, and come in a few minutes." She swallowed nervously. "I won't let them take me, I'll die fighting instead. That is my fate, and the only way to save both worlds. You are the new holder. Will you be willing to do the same?"

A screeching noise was heard, and she turned, glancing at something to the right before looking straight at me. "I hope your future is brighter than this one."

Then the image disappeared.


	50. Wishes

Chapter 50 – Wishes

**Chapter 50 – Wishes**

We stared.

After several moments, Kaden spoke. "What?"

I thought about what I had just seen, then asked, "When was this recorded, do you think?" The question was directed at Jirachi and Kaden, so I was surprised when Registeel answered.

"THIS MESSAGE WAS RECORDED FOURTEEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX YEARS, FIVE MONTHS, SIX DAYS, SIX HOURS, AND APPROXIMATELY FORTY SEVEN MINUTES BEFORE THE PRESENT TIME."

I processed that momentarily. "Fifteen thousand years!"

There was another silence. Finally, Jirachi observed unemotionally, "That makes it about three times as old as me."

I glanced back at him. "I can do the math."

Registeel suddenly raised its right hand, and one of its fingers unscrewed before dropping to the rocky ground. "MODEL REGISTEEL MISSION COMPLETED. SELF-DESTRUCT IMMINENT."

I quickly moved backward, as Registeel blew apart in a fiery explosion. Smoke clogged my vision momentarily, and I coughed as I breathed it in, before holding my breath. After several seconds, the smoke cleared, and where Registeel had been standing was only a small crater.

And in the center of that crater was Registeel's metal finger, rolling slightly back and forth from the force of the explosion. We watched it for several moments, until it settled into the very bottom of the crater. Then I floated forward and picked it up.

Turning to Kaden, I said, "Can I have the Magma Stone, so I can store it?"

He glanced at the dull orange, faintly glowing rock he was holding, then moved forward and gave it to me. "Okay."

Concentrating, I summoned the pink bubble again, inside which the Lunar Wing, the ice shard, and the rock from Regirock were floating. I dropped first the Magma Stone, then Registeel's finger inside, before making it shrink and disappear.

.

Two red and green eyes opened in the air. "Darkrai. Come forth."

A black, white, and red form appeared before them, bowing. "She has obtained the final relic, sir."

"Good. And what of your special task I gave you?"

"I was waiting on their arrival, as you commanded."

"Continue to do so."

"Yes, sir." Darkrai wavered and faded away.

.

Since the sun went down not too long after the incident with Registeel, we decided to stay where we were and spend the night there. We couldn't find anything to provide shelter, but that wasn't much of a problem. At least, not at first.

I curled up on a patch of grass and closed my eyes, after eating and drinking. But before I could fall asleep, I heard Jirachi's voice in my head.

"Tomorrow's my last day…"

I uncurled, sitting up and glancing at him. He was lying on his back nearby, watching the stars. I felt a wave of sadness, and after a moment I moved next to him.

"I'm sorry." I laid on my back and watched the stars with him.

Jirachi glanced at me. "Don't be. I've had an amazing time these past few days. I just wish it could last for a little longer."

_I just wish… I wish…_ A shooting star appeared, streaking across the sky momentarily. "Make a wish," Jirachi commented sadly, gazing at the point where it had disappeared.

"I wish you could stay awake for longer," I said, hoping this time that it would be granted.

But Jirachi didn't glow this time, like the other times. He sighed instead. "There are some wishes even I can't grant." He glanced at me again. "Do you know why I'm only able to be awake for seven days every thousand years?"

I looked at him, then returned my gaze to the night sky. "No."

"It's because I can grant wishes. That power is both my curse and my blessing, for though I can make others happy, I also am forced to grant the selfish desires of others. Do you know what the world would be like if everyone had everything they wanted?"

I thought for a moment. "Perfect?"

"No. Well, maybe eventually, but not for a while. It would be a world of total chaos. If everyone could get what they wanted, without earning it, it would make their accomplishments so insignificant that they wouldn't even bother anymore. And then how would the world progress?" He sighed. "Maybe it's better that I'm only awake for this long."

I tried to think of something to say. "But if everyone had everything they wanted, they wouldn't fight anymore, and everyone would be happy."

"But then would there be a point to doing anything?"

"…I guess not." I spotted another shooting star, and instinctively wished on it. _I wish Jirachi could be happy._

Jirachi turned away. "I'm tired now, good night, Avari."

I curled up next to him and closed my eyes. "Good night."


	51. Sakura

Chapter 51 – Sakura

**Chapter 51 – Sakura**

I was in a room, filled with machines. I stared around myself, and saw many other Pokemon there, surrounding me. Some were familiar, some were not. Jirachi and Kaden were there, my father was there, and curiously enough, Crystal was also there. But the rest were unfamiliar.

I felt my body move without my control. I floated into the air, and began to attack them. I didn't know why, or even what I was attacking with, but I could not control myself. I held out my arms, a white, glowing ball forming between my paws, and it flew at them. They moved out of the way and began to back away from me, watching me fearfully.

I tried to make myself stop, to do something, but I could do nothing. I could only watch helplessly as I threw a white ball at my father, and he disappeared. Then the same happened to Kaden, and then one of the ones I didn't recognize.

Then the scene around me changed, and I was floating in a dark void. I found that I could control my body again. A voice spoke from the darkness.

"When three were one, one did come, and from one was none. When all were one, none was all, and one will be one. When one is none and then is one, one will be all, and two will be two. The two must be one, before all may be all, and one will come."

I looked around myself, and saw stars. They dotted the darkness, and somehow I hadn't seen them before. A different voice spoke, and I realized that it sounded familiar, though I couldn't remember where I'd heard it before. "Not all is as it seems, remember this… The chosen one, guard what you seek, and seek what you guard. Past and present must meet in the future, and only then may peace be maintained… Yet learn from the mistakes of those past, and do not make them again. Continue the story… carry the burden, and set it down when the time is right."

After a moment, I thought I detected a motion in the darkness, but I saw nothing. Then the voice continued. "What will you gain and lose? Will you make the sacrifice, as others have before, as I did? Only time may tell…"

As the voice faded away, the stars all glowed brightly, before suddenly going out. But then I noticed that two were still glowing, next to each other. After another moment, one of them flickered and went out, before another appeared beside the one remaining. Then the second went out, and a fourth appeared beside the third…

I sank back into the grayness of dreamless sleep.

.

I gradually drifted back into consciousness. Opening my eyes, I glanced around and saw that the sun was starting to rise, and I was in the same place as before. Yawning and stretching sleepily, I sat up. Jirachi was no longer next to me, instead he was sitting some distance away and watching the sunrise. Kaden was sleeping, curled up nearby.

Jirachi glanced back at me, then returned his gaze to the orange sky. "No matter how long I sleep, it's always the same sunrise."

I nodded wordlessly, then glanced over as Kaden shifted and opened his eyes. He glanced at us groggily, then blinked and shook his head. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I returned sadly.

Jirachi glanced at me again, and I saw immense sadness in his dark blue eyes. Then he turned to Kaden. "Good morning."

Kaden looked around at our surroundings. "What now?"

I realized that we didn't know where to go. "I'm not sure. We found Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, and got pieces of each one. Those might be the keys the recording was talking about… So now we find this Regigigas? But why?"

Jirachi shrugged. "Who knows? But we'll probably find out why when we find it…"

A red blur suddenly flew from somewhere to my right, crashing into Kaden. I blinked as he went tumbling backward, before I moved forward in alarm. But after a moment, I realized what it was and stopped, somewhat confused.

"Kaden! Where were you, I missed you…" The telepathic voice was high and feminine, and also familiar. Kaden, who was on his back, stared in confusion at the smaller red and white form of his sister, who was perched on top of him.

"Wha— Sakura? What are you doing here?"

His sister was named Sakura, and she was a Latias, with red, feathered wings and white scales. She was only two years old.

Sakura moved off him, frowning. "I don't know where I am. Mom left and never came back, and I went to look for her, but I got lost."

Kaden turned over and faced her in astonishment. "She _left_? Why?"

Sakura looked pointedly at him. "She went to look for _you_."

Kaden groaned. "I thought Celebi said that…"

"Celebi? She came after you left, and said you were somewhere. I don't remember. But I guess it's where you are now that counts."

"So Avari went to find Cresselia, I went to find Avari, my mom went to find me, and my little sister went to find my mom." Kaden sighed. "Do you know where mom went? Or why she didn't come back?"

Sakura shook her head. "No."

"What about Avari's parents?"

She glanced at me worriedly. "I don't know. I think her dad went somewhere too, because he wasn't home when we checked—"

"What? What happened to my father?" I was surprised by this news.

She shrugged. "I don't know. We thought it was weird, since we thought he would stay and look after your mother. We took care of her after he was gone, but—" She suddenly stopped and blanched.

"What?!" I exploded. "Who's taking care of her _now_?!"

Sakura glanced at me fearfully. "Um, I don't know… I wanted to go find my mom, and I thought she would help after I found her…"

I sighed, calming down with an effort. "How long ago did your mother…?"

"…Um… I think two days."

My eyes widened, and I had to struggle to keep from completely losing my head. "Two days?"

She stared at me apprehensively, as if she thought I might kill her on the spot. "I- I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to do…"

I remembered that she was only two years old and took a deep breath to compose myself. "It's alright. I'm sorry."

Kaden glanced between us nervously. "Avari's mom hasn't had food or water for _two days_?"

I swallowed nervously at hearing my concerns put into words. Sakura nodded slowly.

"I have to go back," I decided.

Jirachi suddenly spoke, after being silent the entire time. "You can't, you said your dream said that you couldn't go back until you found the three and one. And I think we've found the three, but the one is Regigigas, which we haven't found yet."

"I don't care. It's just a dream."

Jirachi hesitated for a moment, as the three of us watched him. Then he spoke slowly. "I don't think it was just a dream. What you described, you said that—"

He was cut off as we were startled by the sound of flapping wings.


	52. Zapdos

Chapter 52 – Zapdos

**Chapter 52 – Zapdos**

A large bird-like Pokemon rose into view from below a nearby cliff edge. It was yellow and black, with spiky feathers and a long orange beak. Its talons were also orange, and its entire body was slightly smaller than Kaden.

It landed in front of us, then spread its wings and screeched. We backed away from it, not knowing whether it was friendly or not. I connected to its mind with mine, to figure out what it wanted.

_They are the ones I was looking for. But how should I communicate? Mew have psychic powers, but I'll have to wait until it decides to…_

"Who are you? What do you want?"

It seemed slightly surprised at my intrusion. _I am Zapdos. I've been told to take you north. You're to meet someone there._

"Who?"

_I do not know. But you must come._

I ended the contact, then glanced at Jirachi, Kaden, and Sakura. "Don't worry, he's friendly. I recognize him from some of my parents' descriptions, he's Zapdos."

They relaxed. "What does he want?" Jirachi asked, glancing at Zapdos, who stared at him impassively.

"He said he was told to take us up north, but…"

"You're worried about your mom?" Kaden finished.

I nodded. "I have to go back."

Kaden hesitated for a moment. "…Why don't Sakura and I go to your home, with the Lunar Wing, and you and Jirachi go with Zapdos?"

I was surprised. "You would do that?"

He nodded. "I want to go with you, but I think you need to go more. And I think Jirachi can take care of you." He glanced at Jirachi, who shrugged slightly.

Everyone turned to me expectantly. "You _are_ the leader, it's your call," Kaden told me.

I glanced at him, then sighed. "All right. Thank you, Kaden."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

I concentrated, making the pink bubble reappear in front of me. Reaching into it, my paw easily went through its surface, and I pulled out the Lunar Wing. I let the bubble disappear with the rest of the items inside.

I approached Kaden and handed it to him. "Thank you," I said again.

He nodded. "Stay safe." Then he glanced at his sister, who was watching with a blank expression. "Let's go, Sakura."

They took off, heading westward. I watched after them sadly. I would miss not having Kaden around for the struggles that I felt inevitably lay ahead.

.

A panel in one wall slid open, and something fell into the cell with a thump. Crystal, Latias, and Kile looked up in surprise as the panel slid shut, shutting them off from the outside world once again.

Glancing at the object on the floor, they saw that it was in fact a small pink and blue creature, sharing the majority of its features with Azelf and Uxie. Silver cords similar to Latias's and Crystal's were wrapped around it. "Mesprit!" Latias cried, recognizing it.

It opened its eyes, then glanced at them wearily. Its eyes were yellow. "Ow, where am I?" Its telepathic voice was feminine.

"None of us knows, it is not known," Kile supplied.

Mesprit sat up, then winced. "Ow."

"What's wrong?" Crystal floated toward her.

"Nothing, I'm fine, my head just aches. Something hit me from behind."

Azelf woke, raising his head and looking at her tiredly. "Mesprit?"

She glanced at him in surprise. "Azelf? What are you doing here?"

He put his head back down, apparently breathing heavily and tired from just the effort of lifting it. "They got you, too?"

"Who? What happened to you?"

"I don't know who they are, but I think there's more than one…" Azelf's telepathic voice began to weaken again. "I'm tired…"

Azelf closed his eyes again and fell back asleep. Mesprit stared at him for several moments, then closed her eyes and pushed on the cords around her with her arms.

"No, don't do that!..." Latias warned, too late. The sliver cords around Mesprit tightened, making her wince and gasp.

"Ow… Thanks for the warning. I can't breathe…" Mesprit began to gasp for air. The others, except for Azelf, watched worriedly, knowing they couldn't help.

After several moments, the cords loosened again, and she relaxed, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" Crystal asked in concern.

Mesprit took several breaths before replying. "Yes, I am now. Almost. First I need to get these off…"

Her eyes glowed, and a purple light surrounded the cords. The others watched as for several moments, the light remained, and nothing happened. Finally, the purple aura disappeared, and Mesprit collapsed to the floor limply.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Crystal moved forward.

"That's what happened to me when I tried," Latias said sadly.

Crystal glanced at her before looking back toward Mesprit, whose eyes were closed. After a moment, Mesprit opened her eyes, and then closed them again almost immediately. "I'm fine, I'm just tired now…"

She fell asleep.

.

_I'm starting to get over it._ Or so I told myself, until I glanced down and immediately looked away, squeezing Jirachi harder.

"Ow. Avari, I'm sorry, but if I die of suffocation we'll both fall."

I loosened my hold. "Sorry."

He glanced back at me. "Hold on. Just not too tightly."

I closed my eyes, resolutely trying to ignore the fact that I was thousands of feet in the air, holding onto Jirachi who was in turn holding onto Zapdos. Then I realized I was thinking about it, and thought of something else.

"Jirachi, Registeel's message said that it would only play for someone with some sort of special power…"

"I know, I've been thinking about that, too. I think you're the one it was talking about."

I was surprised at this conclusion, but when I thought about it, it made sense. "I _was_ the one that Regirock, Registeel, and the other one were apparently looking for… But I don't know anything I could have that would…"

The thought trailed off, and when Jirachi was silent, I returned to trying to think of something to think about, other than the height.

.

"Are you sure this is the way?"

Kaden considered the question. He and his sister had been flying west, until they encountered the human settlement of Eterna City and then Eterna Forest. But now that they were _in_ the forest, they were having a difficult time locating the home of Avari's family.

Stopping and glancing around, he nodded uncertainly. "I think so… It's hard to miss a huge abandoned human building…"

Sakura watched him worriedly. "Are we lost?"

Kaden shook his head. "I think I know the way now… Come on." He turned slightly and took off. Glancing around, Sakura followed a moment later.

Kaden soon stopped, and Sakura also halted, hovering next to him. They glanced at the trees around them.

"Wait, this isn't right…" Kaden moved forward slightly, glancing at the vegetation on both sides for anything familiar.

Sakura sighed. "Are we lost _now_?"

Kaden glanced back at her, then laughed nervously. "No, I think—"

His eyes clouded over suddenly as he froze. After a moment, he dropped to the grass. Sakura cried out and rushed toward him.

"Kaden! What's wrong, what happened?" She glanced at the Lunar Wing, which he had dropped, then frantically shook him. There was no reaction, though she was somewhat comforted when she noticed that he was breathing.

She heard a noise behind her, and whirled. She stared at the figure floating there, watching, then smiled in relief. "Deoxys!"

The other figure stared at her through black and white eyes, before the gem on its chest began glowing. Sakura glanced at it, becoming nervous and backing away. "Um… Deoxys?"


	53. Familiar Faces

Chapter 53 – Resting Place

**Chapter 53 – Familiar Faces**

It came as a huge relief to me when we landed. Once Zapdos's talons hit the ground, I immediately let go, floating gratefully downward. Jirachi followed suit, landing next to me.

We were in a snowy area, one that was slightly chilly and filled with trees. Luckily, Zapdos had found a clearing to land in, so we didn't get snow dumped on us from the tree branches. I faced Zapdos and contacted his mind.

"Thank you. Do you have any idea who we're supposed to meet?"

Zapdos shook his head. _No._

I sighed. "Oh, well, thank you."

_You are welcome. Good-bye._

With that, Zapdos flapped his wings, taking off into the sky. I turned to Jirachi, who was looking around the clearing.

"What now?"

He shrugged, glancing at me. "I don't know. I would have taken a look around before we landed, but you were choking me…"

"Oh." I blushed apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. I'm sorry." He sighed, sitting on the snow next to me. "It's just… I only have a day left, less now." He gestured at the sky with one arm, and I realized that the sun was directly overhead.

I sat next to him. "I've been wondering…"

Jirachi looked up at me with a blank expression. "What?"

"…Well, you said you'd woken up about… four times before this time, so why are you so reluctant to go back to sleep? Not that I want you to, but you know, I was just curious…"

I could have sworn I saw Jirachi blush once I asked this, before he looked away. "Um… It's because… Um… I don't know."

I blinked. "Oh." That didn't answer my question, but I decided to leave it alone. "Alright, then, what now?"

"Um…" Jirachi glanced at me. "Wait…"

I watched him curiously. "What?"

He was fidgeting nervously. "Um, I… Okay, I lied… It's because…" He took a breath.

"What are you doing here?"

We both glanced behind us, startled, as the familiar voice came from behind a tree. I lifted into the air as an equally familiar person stepped into view, carrying several small metal devices.

"Adham?" I asked incredulously. The black-haired scientist had a look of disbelief on his face. After a moment, he smiled.

"What are the chances? That's not my field, so I'm not sure. But anyway, did you not manage to find your way home? What happened to your friend, and who is this?" He gestured at Jirachi, shifting the equipment in his arms.

I glanced at Jirachi, who looked numb, staring into space. "This is Jirachi, my… other friend. As for Kaden, that's a long story."

A small black, white and red creature ran into the clearing, glancing at Jirachi and I before flashing and changing into an even smaller pink blob. After a moment, it changed into a copy of me.

"Avari!" Ditto cried, in my telepathic voice. "How did you… Who's that?" It pointed at Jirachi.

Jirachi snapped out of his dazed state and looked at Ditto. "What?"

I introduced them, as Adham began to set down his various devices and mess with them. "Jirachi, this is Adham and Ditto. They helped Kaden and I before we met you. Adham is a scientist, and Ditto is his Pokemon."

"Nice to meet you, then." Jirachi smiled.

Ditto smiled, too. "Nice to meet you, too." It did a flip in the air.

"Ditto told me that you lived in Eterna Forest," Adham said suddenly. "But it's been a week since we last saw you, and you're still about where we dropped you off."

I sighed. "Like I said, that's a long story…"

Quickly, I summarized my adventure so far, starting at the point when Kaden and I left Adham.

Once I finished, Adham nodded thoughtfully. "That _is_ an amazing story. Many of the Pokemon you met are considered mythical, such as Heatran… But Regigigas… I remember hearing the name. There's a statue in the Snowpoint Temple, which is said to be a depiction of a creature called Regigigas. Perhaps you should look there."

I nodded, then glanced at my surroundings. "But we don't know where we are…"

Adham smiled, gesturing to my left. "Snowpoint City is about five minutes in that direction."

I blinked. "Oh, okay. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome. If there's anything else you need…"

Jirachi answered. "No, we're fine. Thanks." He smiled, then grabbed my paw and pulled me off in that direction.

Adham and Ditto watched quizzically. "Well, all right…" Adham responded uncertainly. Ditto cocked its/my head confusedly.

"What are you doing?" I asked privately, also confused. "What's wrong?"

Once we exited the clearing, Jirachi let go and glanced at me, blinking. "Didn't you sense it?"

"What?"

He shrugged, looking around at the trees. "I don't know. There was something… Something made me uneasy."

"Are you sure it wasn't just… how you only have… half a day left?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, and I caught a blink from the eye on his stomach. Then he opened his two main eyes and said, "Yeah, that was probably it. I just wanted to go, and not waste any more time."

"…Alright. Let's go, then." I decided to let the matter drop. Jirachi nodded, and we set off.

.

Latias was woken by a soft thump, then the sound of something sliding. Opening her eyes wearily, she glanced in the direction of the thump. There was a large object there, one that was a little larger than her. It was difficult for her to see, due to the gloom of the cell, but she soon picked out its shape and gasped.

"_Kaden!_"

She began to struggle to shift toward it. For her efforts, though, the cords around her tightened and bit into her. She finally stopped, gasping for breath, and collapsed. "Kaden!" she called again.

Kaden groaned and shifted, opening his eyes and glancing around. He saw that he was lying on his stomach in a windowless room that had no doors. There were five others there, three of which he recognized.

Quickly shaking his head awake, he cried out, "Mom!"

Latias watched him with a mixture of worry and relief, still gulping air. "You're alright… How did…"

Kaden tried to float into the air, but found that he was too weak to. So he attempted to use his arms to support himself, only to find that he couldn't move them. He glanced down and discovered that he was wrapped in several silver cords.

Latias noticed what he did, and quickly advised, "No, don't try to break them, they'll just get tighter… I've tried."

Kaden put his head on the floor, glancing at his mother and noticing that she was struggling to breathe. "Are you alright?!"

She nodded, then relaxed as the next second the cords loosened again. After taking a deep breath, she replied. "Yes, I'm fine now." After a moment, she asked worriedly, "How did you get here?"

"I don't know. Sakura found me and—"

Latias gasped. "Sakura! Is she alright?"

Kaden watched at her worriedly as he remembered. "I… I don't know. She was with me when I blacked out, and then I woke up just—" He suddenly realized something and groaned. "The Lunar Wing! It's gone!"

"What?"

Kaden glanced at the others in the cell. "What are Kile and Crystal doing here?"

Latias sighed. "I think we have some catching up to do…"


	54. Capture

Chapter 54 – Capture

**Chapter 54 – Capture**

After a few minutes of traveling, just as Adham had said, we emerged from the trees and into the human settlement of Snowpoint City. I shook the snow off myself and glanced around. There were no humans in sight, which I supposed was good.

"Where could that—"

I was cut off as a large furry object crashed into me, knocking me to the snow on my face. Several sharp objects pierced the skin on my arm, and I screamed, thrashing with my legs and tail.

After a moment, I heard a voice from nearby. "Let go, Raticate, that's enough." The sharp objects receded, and I immediately flipped over, pain pulsing through my arm. When I glanced at it, I saw that it was bleeding profusely.

Then I saw my attacker, a few feet away. It was a Raticate, with brown fur, whiskers and webbed feet. It also had a long, furless tail, and a set of sharp fangs, which were bared and covered in blood. I realized momentarily that it was _my_ blood.

Then the Raticate was surrounded by a purple aura, and lifted into the air. A nearby human, who I figured was its trainer, watched dumbfounded as it was smashed into the ground. A moment later, it was lifted up again and thrown into a tree. The Raticate fell limply to the snow, then was promptly covered in more snow from the disturbed branches of the aforementioned tree.

I tried to stop the bleeding of my arm, covering the wounds with my other paw. I wasn't having much success. Jirachi floated down to me and inspected it anxiously.

"Are you alright, Avari? I'm sorry, I should have noticed it sooner, but it took me by surprise…"

I winced at a spike of pain, originating from my arm. "Argh. It's alright. I just need to stop the… bleeding." I was breathing heavily, writhing in pain by now.

"Alright, hold on for a moment…" After saying this, Jirachi suddenly cried out. Glancing at him, I saw that the Raticate had somehow recovered and was biting into Jirachi's foot.

The Raticate held on as Jirachi instinctively rose into the air. His eyes glowed, and the purple aura surrounded the Raticate again. But then it began to viciously shake its head, and Jirachi winced, falling to the snow and causing the purple light to disappear.

My attention was then diverted as a noise came from the other side of me, and I glanced over in time to see a small black, yellow and white sphere fly at me. Recognizing it, but too late to do anything about it, I cringed as I felt my body dissolve into red light.

Suddenly, I couldn't see anything. It wasn't just dark, I simply couldn't see. Strange symbols were all around me, and even though I couldn't see them, I knew they were there. I wondered for several moments what to do now. I knew a human was trying to capture me, since some had tried before, but they had never gotten so far as to actually get me _inside_ one of their devices.

My mind searched through the symbols around me. After several moments, I found a string of symbols that I somehow knew would allow me to escape if I changed one. I instinctively manipulated it with my mind, changing one of the symbols to another…

Only to find that nothing happened. I changed another, and when nothing happened, I began to panic. I knew that if I didn't get out soon, I would be stuck under the human's control forever.

Frantically moving and changing symbols in that one string, I tried every combination I could think of. Meanwhile, I somehow knew that my time limit for escape was becoming shorter.

Finally, I changed the correct symbol, and feeling returned to my body. Opening my eyes and breathing heavily, I glanced around and saw with some relief that I was no longer inside the device.

Jirachi was nearby, on the ground and nursing his bloodied foot while at the same time watching the Raticate warily. The Raticate was no longer latched onto Jirachi, but was standing a few feet away from us and baring its fangs as it waited for its trainer to give another order.

I saw its trainer nearby, a young human wearing lots of thick clothing, which I supposed was to keep out the cold. This human was staring at me with a frustrated expression, and after a moment it produced another device similar to the first.

My eyes widened, and I tried to get to my feet, but became dizzy and fell back down. I winced as pain shot through my arm again, then watched dazedly as the human's capture device came at me again. _I wish I wasn't a Mew…_

There was a flash of red light, but when it ended, I was still solid. I blinked, sat up, and cringed at the stabbing pain in my arm, before glancing at the yellow, black, and white device. It was sitting in the snow, shaking slightly and with the button on its front blinking.

After several seconds, it stopped moving and went still. I stared uncomprehendingly. _I'm still here, so what…?_

A thought occurred to me, and I glanced around myself. Jirachi was nowhere in sight.

The human stared. "What? I wanted the Mew…"

I realized with horror that Jirachi had been captured by this human. Quickly, I lunged toward the device and grabbed it with my good arm, ignoring the pain in my other, and concentrated on floating into the air.

Unfortunately, this move was not unnoticed by the human. "Hey! Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

The Raticate jumped toward me, before I could react, and sank its sharp fangs into my good arm, the one I was using to hold the device. I screamed, dropping it, and instinctively used my psychic powers. But then the Raticate let go, holding on to me with its claws, and bit my shoulder.

I fell to the snow numbly. My vision darkened, and I was barely aware of what was happening around me. After a moment, everything went black.


	55. Seth

Chapter 55 – Seth

**Chapter 55 – Seth**

I regained awareness, and found that I couldn't see or feel anything. Series of human symbols surrounded me.

After several seconds, I remembered what had happened, and realized where I was. _Great, the human must have captured me while I was unconscious. That's not fair!_

I attempted to find a way out, searching through the symbols around me, but unlike last time, I found nothing that could help me. Resignedly, I gave up and waited.

.

I didn't have to wait long, before suddenly I could feel my body again. I first noticed that my arms no longer hurt. Opening my eyes, I took in my situation.

I was in a somewhat large room, with white walls and a tiled floor of various shades of orange. A large desk with several machines behind it was located at the back of the room, and a bookshelf next to it. Behind me, some stairs went up, and in front of me were some stairs going down. To my right, opposite the large desk, was a door.

But between me and the stairs that were going downward, a human stood. I recognized it as the same one that attacked me earlier. There were no other humans or Pokemon in sight. After a moment, the human took out a black, yellow, and white sphere from a pocket and, with a flash of light, released Jirachi.

Jirachi glanced at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, I got us into this mess…"

"No, it's my fault, it's because I'm a Mew, and all the humans attack me on sight. I'm sorry I dragged you into this with me…"

Then the human spoke, and I realized that it was a young boy. "Well, since you both just joined my team, I thought you should meet the rest… My name is Seth." He produced several more Poke Balls, of various colors.

"I'm Avari," I said to him telepathically. He stopped and stared at me, astonished.

"You can talk?... Well, if that's your name, then I'll call you that. Nice to meet you, Avari."

I smiled wanly, deciding that if he was going to be my trainer, then I should get used to him.

Jirachi apparently had the same thought, for he then said, "Um, I'm Jirachi…" He looked even less thrilled than I did, if that was possible.

Seth glanced at Jirachi in surprise. "And you can, too?" He suddenly looked thoughtful, studying Jirachi. Jirachi fidgeted nervously.

Finally, Seth observed, "You're not like any Pokemon I've ever seen or heard about before."

Jirachi shrugged. Seth then continued, "But anyway, welcome. I'm sorry that Raticate got a little carried away… But I healed you both, so don't worry."

I sighed. "Thanks."

"I know you probably don't like me right now, but I hope you get used to me… It's alright if you're angry, I understand."

I suddenly thought of something. "Um, if I'm going to be fighting, then… what are my statistics?" I knew enough about Pokemon trainers to know that every Pokemon was automatically classified by its abilities when captured.

Seth glanced at me in slight surprise, then put his Poke Balls away and took out a small, flat, black and red device. Flipping it open, he pressed a few buttons, before saying, "Um, your overall level is ten, health is 43, physical strength is 25, physical endurance is 28, energy-based offensive is 30, ability to absorb energy-based attacks is 28, and agility is also 28. And, let me see, aside from what you already know, egg group is infertile."

I wasn't really surprised at the majority of that, but the last one _was_ surprising. I knew what an egg group was, so I knew what he meant. "Infertile?"

He nodded. "Yes, Mew can't breed."

The confirmation surprised and confused me even more. "What? I was hatched from an egg…"

"Really? So Mew _can_ breed… Since no one ever found a Mew egg before, they were considered to not be able to breed." Seth glanced at me with a thoughtful expression. "If that's true, then I could breed a lot of Mew…"

I stared. "What? But—"

"I only need to find a good partner for you, but that could take a while since no one knows what Mew is compatible with…"

"Wait, I—"

"What gender are you?"

The question caught me even more off guard. "You don't know?"

"No, Mew are usually considered genderless."

I saw a way out of my situation. "Um, I'm not telling."

"Why not?... That's okay though, I have a Ditto."

My heart stopped momentarily. "No! Fine, I'm female." I hung my head in resignation. _Why couldn't I have just stayed quiet?_

Seth then turned to Jirachi, who had been watching with wide eyes. "What about you, what species are you? Is that your species name, Jirachi?"

Jirachi glanced at me, saying, "I'm sorry, we'll find a way out." Then, to our trainer, "Um, yes, I suppose… I'm the only one, so…"

"You are? …You must be undiscovered, since you don't match descriptions of any known Pokemon… What are your abilities? I know you can use psychic attacks, but what else?"

Jirachi was silent for a long time, and I knew that he was struggling with what to tell this human. "Well… I can heal injuries…"

"Others' injuries? Or yours?"

"Um, both."

Seth blinked. "Oh." He thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "When I was capturing you, why didn't you heal yourself?"

"It takes time to work…"

"Oh, okay." After a moment, our trainer asked another question. "I have all the data but this, so… What egg group are you?"

Jirachi flinched, and I knew he had been dreading that question. "How am I supposed to know? It's something made up by you humans."

"Alright. I'll find out, then."

Jirachi's eyes widened again. "How—"

"What gender are you, the Pokedex doesn't know."

Jirachi froze. After a moment, he asked angrily, "Why are you asking us so many personal questions?"

"Well, I can't call you 'it', can I? But if that's alright with you, I'll stop."

Jirachi hesitated and glanced at me, then turned back to Seth and swallowed. "Um, I'm male…"

Our new trainer took in this information, then said, "Alright. Um, I was thinking about going to the Snowpoint Temple to train, there are some wild Pokemon there… Do you want to come and train, too?"

I immediately became hopeful again. _Maybe we can still finish our quest!_ Quickly nodding, I answered eagerly, "Yes, we do."

Jirachi nodded as well, and Seth glanced between us before saying, "Okay. Let's go. I'll let you stay out of your Poke Balls for now, so follow me."

He turned and began to walk toward the door. Jirachi and I floated after him.

"At least something good came of this," I said, trying to be optimistic. "We don't know where this place is that we're looking for, and we get a guide."

Jirachi glanced at me. "Yeah, but what about afterward?"

I swallowed nervously. "Um, we'll have to get away before then…" I wasn't looking forward to what my new trainer was planning for me.

We followed Seth out of the room, emerging into the snow-covered human settlement of Snowpoint City.


	56. Temple

Chapter 56 – Temple

**Chapter 56 – Temple**

Within a few minutes, we reached the Snowpoint Temple. It was a large, stone building, held up by massive pillars. Various symbols were carved into its surface, and in front of us a wide doorway yawned. A dark, gloomy room filled with ice and stone statues was visible through it.

I might have been more impressed if I wasn't busy worrying over my and Jirachi's situation. But once we entered the Temple, I was curious enough to ask, "What is it for?"

Seth glanced at me. "The Snowpoint Temple? No one knows, it was built a long time ago."

Jirachi motioned toward a large statue that dominated the room, one that looked vaguely like a human with its arms crossed over its chest. "What's that?"

Our trainer studied it. "It's just a statue. No one knows what it's of. Come on, let's go downstairs. At the bottom of the temple, there's a big statue that supposedly depicts something called Regigigas, let's go down there and back, and then we should have enough training."

I recognized the name. _Regigigas, that's what we're looking for!_ Then I remembered our predicament and sighed, knowing that even if we did find Regigigas and finish this, we were still tied to Seth. And then… I started to get sick thinking about what would happen afterward.

But I dutifully nodded, knowing that if I tried to run away, the Poke Ball I had been caught in could recall me wherever I was. Jirachi also nodded, glancing at me worriedly as if sensing my thoughts.

We then proceeded deeper into the Snowpoint Temple.

After going down the stairs to the floor below, Seth suddenly exclaimed, "Abra!"

Glancing around, I didn't see any Abra. "What?" I turned to look at my trainer confusedly, and we all stopped. Jirachi also watched confusedly.

Seth looked thoughtful. "An Abra, you're a lot like an Abra, so maybe Abra could be compatible with you…"

I paled. "No." There was no way I was going to breed with an _Abra_.

"No? Then maybe something else…"

"Please, I'm not going to…"

Seth didn't seem to hear me. "Let me see, Mew are like Abra, and Abra are also humanoid, so maybe…" He turned suddenly to Jirachi, who stared for a second before paling.

"What about you? The two of you might be compatible."

My brain locked up, and I went numb. _How do you respond to something like that?_ After a moment, I felt my face heat up, and shook myself awake, answering. "I… I'm not… not doing it." Glancing quickly at Jirachi, I saw that his face was also red.

Seth glanced between us. "Why not?"

"Because…" I thought frantically for a way out. "…I'm not just an animal. Not any more than you. So please… stop acting like I am." My eyes began to tear up, and I blinked to clear them.

My trainer watched me for a second, then he suddenly cried, "Look out!"

I glanced back, and was startled to see a large blue creature with purple, leathery wings right behind me. Quickly moving out of the way as it struck out with one wing, I narrowly escaped injury. I retaliated, surrounding the Pokemon, a Golbat, with a purple glow as I gained control of its mind.

Jirachi then joined in, and soon, between the two of us, we rendered the Golbat unconscious. Once it fell to the icy stone floor, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll need to be more careful, the wild Pokemon here are much stronger than the ones in most other places." Seth glanced around, confirming that there were no other threats in sight, and continued walking.

Jirachi glanced at me worriedly. "We need a plan. And fast."

I nodded despondently. "I'm sorry I got you into this… But I really don't know how to get out of this other than trying to reason with him. And that hasn't gotten us very far yet…"

Jirachi sighed. "And I only have half a day left, anyway. That means that… if we don't escape, then you'll have to be… paired with someone else." He turned red, apparently realizing the awkwardness of that statement.

I, on the other hand, turned pale. When I thought about it, if I was going to be forced into… reproducing, I would rather it be with Jirachi than a stranger. But I quickly pushed these thoughts out of my mind, turning slightly red. "It'll be alright." With that, the conversation ended, and we flew after Seth.

.

Crystal glanced back at the others in the cell. "I think I've found it."

Kaden, Kile, and Latias glanced up at her. Mesprit and Azelf were asleep at the moment. "Found what?" Kaden asked curiously.

Crystal gestured to the wall in front of her with her head, since her arms were pinned to her sides. "There's a hole here, for air to come in through."

Latias strained her eyes, trying to see. "I don't see it…"

"It's very small, that's why we didn't notice it before. There are probably more of them."

"Then how does that help us?" Kaden was skeptical.

"We just have to make it bigger." Crystal glanced around the room for inspiration, and found none. "Any ideas?"

"It'll take a lot to make it big enough for me, if it's that small." Kaden sighed. "And we might as well knock a hole in the wall. It's not like in a cave or something, where the walls are weak around the holes."

Crystal realized he was right. Sinking back to the ground, she muttered despondently, "It was an idea."

"Yes, true. But I think you are all forgetting the obvious, I believe you are missing it." They turned to stare at Kile as he spoke suddenly.

"You have an idea?" Latias inquired hopefully.

Kile glanced around the room through his cage, appearing thoughtful. "Yes, I do. When Mesprit and Kaden arrived, when they came, parts of the walls opened, they parted. They must have had a… what is it called, how is it said?... a… hinge, a seam. They should be weaker there, easier to break…"

The others glanced at the blank walls doubtfully. "We can't even see the seams, how are we supposed to find them?" Crystal asked in despair.

"I do not know, I am not sure. Maybe, wait until one opens, then we will know, we will see."

Kaden smiled grimly. "That sounds like a good idea…"

.

I dodged the swipe, my mind working frantically. We had encountered a Sneasel, and unfortunately it apparently saw us as a threat, because it attacked us instantly. And even more unfortunately, my psychic powers didn't affect it.

My arm glowed, and I moved toward the Sneasel to Mega Punch it. But I was forced to quickly abandon that in order to dodge another swipe from its sharp claws.

A flash of light in the corner of my vision alerted me to the fact that Seth was releasing one of his other Pokemon. I floated away from the Sneasel, as the next second a large brown, clawed foot flew past me. It smashed into the Sneasel, sending it flying and rendering it unconscious.

I stopped to regain my breath for a moment, then glanced back as the foot retracted. It was attached to a tan-colored, spring-like leg, which was in turn attached to a large brown body. It was a Hitmonlee, with two eyes staring from the featureless blob of its body, and two brown and tan arms that were considerably shorter than its legs.

Seth recalled it, as I dropped to the stone floor tiredly. Jirachi lowered to sit next to me a moment later.

"How much farther until we reach the bottom?" I asked telepathically, while gasping for breath.

Seth glanced at us. "Not too far, we're most of the way down. Why?"

"Um, I don't know, I just want to get this over with, I guess…" I decided not to tell him the real reason.

"If you're tired, we can go back now…"

"No!" I quickly responded, hiding my weariness and rising into the air. Seth watched me, curious.

"Why do you want to get to the bottom first?"

I glanced at Jirachi, who shrugged. I decided then that this was the best time to try to talk to our new trainer. Sighing, I settled back onto the floor. "That's a long story."

Seth sat down, facing us. "I'm listening."

I hesitated, then summarized our entire journey so far. It took a while, but I felt it was worth it, since Seth at least appeared to be listening, asking questions occasionally. Once I finished, up to the point where we had encountered Seth, our new trainer was silent for several moments, studying us. My tail twitched anxiously behind me as I waited for a response.

Finally, he sighed. "I guess I have been acting a little selfish, haven't I?" When neither I nor Jirachi responded, he sighed again and continued. "I'm sorry for not listening to you before. But…" He trailed off.

I didn't like the sound of that "but". "But what?"

"…I can't let you go, if I do, I won't ever find a Mew again. Just seeing a Mew, let alone catching one, is a once in a lifetime experience."

I was astonished. "Weren't you listening? We have to find this Regigigas, Jirachi is going to go back to sleep for a thousand years tonight. And I have a family…" I began to feel hopeless again.

"Yes, but… I'll let Jirachi go, if he does go to sleep and not wake up, but how do I know you're not making this up?"

Tears came to my eyes. "You have to believe me…"

"Can you prove it?"

I blinked, then thought for a moment. "How about… once we get to the statue, if we can find Regigigas and wake it up, then you let us go… but if we can't, then…" I hesitated, before hanging my head in resignation. "…Then you can do whatever you want with me."

Jirachi immediately cried out in shock. "Avari! What are you doing?!" Seth didn't hear, because Jirachi was only speaking to me.

Our trainer looked at me in surprise. "Really? You're that sure of yourself?"

I swallowed. "Yes, if we can't find what we came for, then I'll… I'll let you breed me with your Pokemon and get lots of baby Mew for your stupid collection." I really hoped I was right.

"Avari! We don't even know if Regigigas is around here, it could just be a statue." I glanced at Jirachi, who was staring at me with a horrified expression.

I responded sadly. "I'm desperate, and besides, it can't get any worse."

Seth nodded, oblivious to our conversation. "Alright. We'll see, then."

My eyes widened as I suddenly realized fully exactly what I had agreed to. _I'm such an idiot._


	57. Regigigas

Chapter 57 – Regigigas

**Chapter 57 – Regigigas**

After a while of picking our way through ice-encrusted and rock-strewn areas of the temple, we finally emerged into what Seth said was the final room. Upon entering it from the staircase that led to it, my attention was immediately drawn to a large figure in the center of the room.

Its back was to us, and it was still far enough away that I couldn't make out tiny details. But I could see that it was mostly made of a white material, with a large golden ornament coming down its back and a golden ring around each of its shoulders. Black stripes occasionally marred the white surface, but they didn't look like they were made by accident. And, in addition, something green was growing in patches on its surface. The entire figure was about ten times as large as me, and it was perfectly motionless. It was also vaguely human-like.

"That's the statue of Regigigas." I glanced at Seth, who was staring at it while speaking. "It's amazing that it's lasted this long, it's been here for as long as anyone can remember."

I stared at the statue for a moment longer, before turning my attention to the rest of the room. The majority of it was covered in ice, but some of the walls were visible, made of a blue stone like the rest of the temple. The walls were, however, unlike the rest of the temple, covered in strange carvings. I, being illiterate, was unable to understand any of them.

"What do they mean?" I asked, studying the various patterns etched into a nearby wall.

Seth glanced at me, then at the carvings I was examining. "No one knows. They could mean anything, or nothing at all. Scientists aren't even sure if they're a language, they could be pictures of things. Though there's nothing familiar about what they could be depicting."

I felt especially curious about one symbol, which looked like three curved lines joined at one end, with a circle touching the concave part of the top one. I wasn't sure why this particular one grabbed my attention, but I felt that I knew what it meant, if only I thought hard enough.

Then I tore my gaze away from it, glancing around the room and sighing. If I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in a breeding center, I had better get started. Concentrating, I formed the pink bubble in the air again, and removed three objects from it before letting it disappear with its one remaining item.

I stared at the three objects in my paws, the ice shard, the red stone, and the metal finger. "What do we do with them?"

Jirachi shrugged, glancing around the room. "I don't know. What about your dream, did that give you any hints?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't—" Suddenly I remembered something. "Wait, there was nothing else in that dream, but there was another dream last night… Two will be two… and two must be one."

Jirachi stared at me. "There are three of them."

I sighed in frustration. "I know. Maybe there's something else…"

Jirachi sighed as well, floating over to one wall. "Alright, I'll check the walls for anything unusual, you check the statue."

I nodded, glancing at the statue that dominated the room. It looked so lifeless; how could it hide the creature we were looking for? _For that matter, what if Regigigas is dead? That message _was_ recorded fifteen thousand years ago…_ I had already consigned myself to a life in a breeding center, and I hadn't even started looking.

But it couldn't hurt to try anyway. Taking a deep breath, I floated over to the statue. Examining it from the front, I saw that the golden ornament hanging down its back also went down its front. It had no head or obvious face, though several dots were arranged on the golden ornament in a spread out pattern. Four were in a circle near the top, and the other three were arranged in a line leading downward. To either side of this golden ornament were three large colored eye-like patterns. The one on the top on both sides was red, and below it was a blue eye, and the one on the bottom was grey. The statue also had two bulky white and black striped arms, each with a golden ring around its wrist and three large white fingers.

I glanced at the three objects I held. Was there a place where they could fit into? Floating up to the lowest dot in the golden ornament, I studied it. It appeared to be made by a deep depression in the golden surface, in which something long and thin might fit…

I took Registeel's metallic finger and tried to fit it into the hole, but the hole was too small. Frowning, I glanced at the rest of the statue. There was nothing in which to place them. At least, not that I could see. I immediately brightened upon realizing that what I was looking for could be hidden under the green moss growing on the statue.

I began to search through the moss, pulling parts of it off the statue and sifting through it. But soon, having found nothing except smooth white material and an occasional black stripe, I gave up. Settling despondently to the stone floor, I tried to think of something I could have missed.

_Obviously, I need to do something with these parts. If I only had to bring them here, something would have happened already. Maybe Regigigas isn't even here, and we're just wasting our time… Or probably Regigigas doesn't exist anymore and we've gone out of our way for nothing._ I wanted to cry.

"There's nothing on the walls, except writing." Jirachi floated over to me, watching me concernedly. "Did you find anything?"

I shook my head, then floated upward, going past Jirachi and stopping in front of Seth, who was watching with mild curiosity. Hanging my head and taking a breath, I said to him, "You win, there's nothing here. Let's go, I… I'm ready." I felt sick thinking of what I would have to do now, but I had promised.

Seth looked at me, then glanced at the statue. "Are you sure you didn't miss anything?"

I nodded sadly.

"…Do you know how to read?"

I was startled and confused by the question. "No, why?"

Seth smiled slightly. "That could be your problem. Here, let me help you." He walked past me, stumbling occasionally on the ice as he approached the statue. Jirachi and I stared after him.

Once our trainer was in front of the statue, I followed him to float next to him. I watched as he pointed to one of the eye-like patterns on the statue. "See, there's writing here."

I peered at it and saw only obscure patterns. "There is?"

Seth nodded, pointing to one of the red eyes at the top. "It says, 'A body of rock'." He then pointed to the blue one below it. "This says, 'A body of ice'." His finger then moved to the grey eye-like pattern at the bottom. "And this says, 'A body of steel'." Seth then lowered his hand to his side, and stared at the golden ornament in the center of the statue. Looking at what he was looking at, I noticed markings etched into it, barely visible. "When gathers the three Pokemon, the king shall appear."

I stared at it for a moment, then turned my gaze to the eyes on the other side. "Do they say anything?"

Seth glanced at them. "Yes, they say the same thing as the other three."

I looked at the three objects I was holding. _A body of rock, a body of ice, and a body of steel._ I glanced up at the eye patterns, then took a breath and held the red rock out toward the red eye.

The rock hit the statue with a clinking noise. Disappointed, I moved back and studied the three items I held again.

"Look!" I glanced at Jirachi, to see that he was gesturing toward the statue. Turning toward it, I noticed with surprise that the red pattern I had touched with the rock was glowing faintly.

"It's glowing," Seth observed, also with surprise. "Try the other one."

I nodded, then touched the other red pattern with the red stone. However, it didn't do what I thought it would.

Instead of just making the pattern glow, the rock was sucked out of my paw and into the statue. I cried out in surprise, pulling back.

But nothing else happened, and after a moment, I noticed that both red eye-like patterns were now glowing. "Try the other two," Jirachi said, with some excitement.

I took the ice shard and touched each of the blue spots in quick succession, and like the rock, it was sucked away from me and absorbed into the statue. Since I wasn't as surprised this time, I observed that it made a slight rippling as it entered the statue, as if the surface of the statue was liquid.

I then held the last piece, the metal finger of Registeel, and touched both the grey patterns with it. Like the other two sets, they began glowing on contact, and the finger was absorbed by the statue.

I then moved back, to observe what would happen. Jirachi and Seth followed this example.

The eye-like patterns suddenly shimmered and changed. I didn't understand how they had changed at first, but after a moment, I realized that they were now gems, embedded in the surface of the statue. A moment after that, the room shook around us.

Jirachi and I, because we were floating, didn't feel it, but I noticed Seth stumble slightly. My attention was then diverted as a loud sound was emitted from the statue.

It sounded like something that would come from a human machine, so I was surprised to hear it coming from this ancient statue. After several moments, the noise stopped, and everything was silent again.

I watched the statue warily. "Is that it?"

I then was startled as a voice came from the statue. It was a deep, emotionless voice, an arrogant one that made the air shudder. "I am Regigigas. I have slumbered here for fifteen thousand years; who would awaken me?"


	58. Ripping

Chapter 58 – Ripping

**Chapter 58 – Ripping**

I froze in surprise. After several moments, I answered hesitantly. "Um, me, I guess…"

The dots on the golden ornament of the statue lit up, tiny points of light shining from them. And suddenly, most shockingly of all, the statue began to _move_. It suddenly assumed a more relaxed position, its arms falling to its sides, and appeared to be breathing.

The voice came from the statue again. "Who are you? Why have you awakened me?"

I blinked. "Um, I'm Avari, and I don't know why I awakened you…" After getting over my momentary shock, I realized with immense relief that this meant that I wouldn't have to breed with Seth's Pokemon.

"How is it that you do not know? You have not done this by an accident, I know this much. What is the purpose of awakening me?"

I thought about that, backing away slightly. "Um, I really don't know, I was told in a dream to…" I trailed off nervously, realizing that I had no idea what Regigigas, who I had thought was a statue, was capable of. Certainly it was several times as large as me.

Regigigas was silent for several moments. Then it spoke again. "I am the forger of the Ancient Law, with the power to move continents, and the strength to tear space itself. Do you fear me?"

I hesitated. "Yes… I guess…"

"You are right in this, though there is no need. I know why you have awakened me. For fifteen thousand years, I have slept, sealed away long ago by a holder of the Eldest Power, the greatest power. An evil being wished to use my power to fulfill his own selfish desires, and to keep this from happening, I was sealed away. Yet even after many years had passed, I was not awakened. I assume that this meant that the one who could release me was dead. Yet now you have come, heir to the power of that one, and released me. Do you yet know of this power you possess, or what it means?"

I shook my head confusedly. "No."

"Yet you possess it all the same, and make use of it. It will protect you if it can, and it has many other uses as well, ones which you must discover for yourself. For only the holder can awaken its power, it is only as powerful as its holder." Regigigas paused for a moment. "You must go to the other world, and seek out the two kings of space and time. For this world is in need, a disturbance in the aura is near…"

"What?" Jirachi apparently recovered from his surprised state, only to enter a confused state, along with me. "The other world?"

"Yes, the world the two kings inhabit. It is parallel to this one. You must find them and bring them to this world."

"How are we supposed to get there?" I was still confused.

"I possess the strength and power to tear space and time. This was given to me by the two kings, Palkia and Dialga, long ago…" Regigigas suddenly raised one three fingered arm and held it there. For several moments, no one moved, as we all watched Regigigas.

Then Regigigas brought its arm downward, appearing to meet some resistance, even though it was only traveling through air. There was a sudden boom and a noise like cloth ripping, only magnified about a thousand times. My vision became distorted; or was it the room? I couldn't tell, but suddenly everything flashed black and white, and changed shape and dimensions.

Covering my ears and closing my eyes, I waited until the noises stopped. I then opened one eye, and seeing that the room was back to normal, relaxed again and uncovered my ears.

But there was one thing that was different. In front of Regigigas was what appeared to be a large jagged hole in the air. Inside of it was only blackness, though the distortion that I had observed earlier was curiously still present around its edges. Seth, Jirachi, and I stared at it. After a moment, I noticed that it was starting to get smaller, gradually.

"This will take you to the world you need to go to." Regigigas stepped back from the hole, the ground shaking under its massive footsteps. "Go now, for it is closing quickly. And it is no easy matter to rip through time and space."

I nodded, glancing at Seth. "Um, can we go?"

Our trainer looked up at me, appearing surprised. "Of course, we had a deal, didn't we? And I lost, so you're free to go. Although I'll probably regret letting you go, I had already decided to when you told your story." He smiled.

"Thank you." I glanced at Jirachi.

"Let's go." He smiled, then gestured toward the rapidly closing hole.

I nodded, and, without looking back, we entered the rip that would lead to another world.

.

The black, jagged hole closed behind Avari and Jirachi. With a rumbling sound, it winked out of existence, and the space and time of that area was healed.

Seth glanced at Regigigas, as Regigigas turned to him. Then he collapsed to the icy stone floor, unconscious.

After a moment, a shadowy figure emerged from Seth's prone form, one blue eye glowing. Darkrai materialized completely, then floated up to face Regigigas.

"Regigigas. My master wants you to be brought to him."

The dots on Regigigas's gold ornament flashed. "Darkrai. I sensed you as soon as I was awoken. Why did you feel it necessary to take control of this creature?"

Darkrai glanced at Seth. "So that the Mew could get to you and awaken you. I was watching them for the majority of their journey, making sure they eventually reached you. And when this human captured them, he didn't know what he was getting into."

"I see."

Darkrai snickered. "You do? Do you have eyes?"

This remark was ignored. "Who is your master?"

"Who else would want to see you? He wants you to fix what you did to him."

"That is not possible. You know that I will not. How will you make me?"

Darkrai moved closer to Regigigas. "I was able to possess this boy…"

Regigigas suddenly thrust out with his huge, three fingered hand, easily grabbing Darkrai out of the air. He began to squeeze, and Darkrai cringed in pain. "You cannot defeat me. I possess superior power."

Darkrai struggled for a moment, then suddenly faded into the air, leaving Regigigas grasping nothing. His voice echoed around the room. "Ha, and you're too slow. How can you defeat an enemy you can't catch?" He laughed.

Darkrai suddenly reappeared, eyes glowing. A purple aura surrounded Regigigas.

"You are weak." One of Regigigas's hands glowed orange, and it swung with surprising speed at Darkrai. The attack connected, and Darkrai cried out as he flew into a wall and then fell to the floor.

After a moment, Darkrai floated back into the air. His eyes flashed, and the purple aura appeared around Regigigas once again. Regigigas lunged toward Darkrai, stretching out his huge white hands, but couldn't get close enough to reach the other before he was immobilized.

Darkrai laughed. "Like I said, you're slow."

Both Darkrai and Regigigas faded away, disappearing from Snowpoint Temple.


	59. Another World

Chapter 59 – Another World

**Chapter 59 – Another World**

I emerged into darkness, unable to see anything. Nervously, I called out to Jirachi telepathically. "Jirachi? Where are you?"

After a moment, when there was no reply, I began to panic. Closing my eyes, I found that it made no difference at all, and when I tried to lower to the floor, I found that there was no floor. So instead, I wandered through the darkness, trying to find a way out.

Suddenly, I spotted something. It was a long, thin thread-like object, stretched taut through the void. It was glowing white, which was why I was able to see it. Curiously, and glad that I was no longer in complete darkness, I approached it.

Following it with my eyes, I couldn't see the ends of it. Instead, it faded away into the darkness after an undeterminable distance. I then noticed another thread, at a right angle to the first, nearby. Once I noticed that one, I began to see more of them, spread through the void, and reminding me of a giant web.

I reached out to the first one, and after hesitating for a moment, touched it. Instantly, I cried out as intense pain coursed through me, and I tried to pull away. But I was unable to, and I realized that the thread had somehow become wrapped around my paw. Ignoring the pain, I tried to use my other paw to free myself, only to find that both my paws were now stuck.

I then felt my tail hit something, and suddenly it was unable to move. Glancing back, I saw that another glowing thread had wrapped around my tail. Cringing and breathing heavily at the pain that the contact with the threads caused, I tried to think of a way out, but couldn't through the haze in my mind.

I began to struggle to break free, pulling on the cords and trying to kick them away with my feet. However, these efforts only caused me to become even more entangled, until eventually I was rendered completely immobile, held stretched out from my arms, feet, and tail. I could do nothing but wince at the explosions of intense pain that spread across my body.

More threads appeared from nowhere, wrapping around me and causing even more discomfort. It was like being submerged in molten lava, and not being melted. I closed my eyes, trembling helplessly at the feeling, and waiting for something to happen.

The glowing threads continued to wrap around me, until I was almost completely covered, like a cocoon. I was also struck by the irony of this comparison as I felt my body begin to painfully change shape, expanding without growing. I didn't know what was happening to me, only that I didn't like it.

I screamed telepathically, as my body felt like it was being ripped apart, turned inside out. I realized that I had been screaming out loud as well, when I ran out of breath and was left gasping for air. And the whole time, I wondered dimly why I hadn't fallen unconscious yet, I was certainly in enough pain to. My eyes filled with tears, as I waited helplessly for it to stop.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped, and the threads disappeared. I began to fall limply, and suddenly I was unaware of my surroundings.

.

Two wavering forms appeared in the translucent, white hall. One was a black, white, and red phantom-like creature, and the other was a large white, gold and black creature. After a few moments, the forms snapped into focus.

Regigigas struck out at Darkrai with an orange glowing hand. Darkrai flew out of the way, and Regigigas took a step toward him, shaking the surface underneath them. Darkrai glanced toward the end of the hallway, where four metal objects were suspended just above the floor.

"Sir, I've, um, brought Regigigas." Darkrai dodged as Regigigas struck out again. His eyes glowed, surrounding Regigigas with a purple light and rendering Regigigas immobile.

Two eyes appeared in the air, each colored red and green. A rumbling voice spoke from just beneath them. "Good. Release Regigigas."

Darkrai released his psychic hold on Regigigas, then backed away.

The voice spoke again, the eyes staring at Regigigas. "You bound me with the Ancient Law at the dawn of time; will you free me?"

The dots on Regigigas's gold ornament flashed in a complex pattern. "No. There was a reason for that, and I will not disobey the kings of space and time."

The floating eyes flashed in anger. "So, you would rather obey the rulers of time and space than their origin, rather than the Original One? I have regained my power slowly, and I now have enough to destroy you. Will you risk that?"

"If you destroy me, you will be unable to break the Law, without gathering the six parts of your body."

"That is true. Darkrai, take control of Regigigas and free me."

Darkrai's visible eye widened. "I… Yes, sir." Regigigas turned toward Darkrai halfway, before Darkrai faded into a shadow, which flew at Regigigas. Once the shadow contacted Regigigas, it disappeared.

After a moment, Regigigas turned back toward the floating eyes, and began to move forward with heavy, shuddering steps. He stopped immediately in front of one of the metal objects attached to the floor; it was a floating chain.

Darkrai, inside Regigigas's body, hesitated momentarily. _Should I do this?... He promised to help me in return, but…_

One of Regigigas's three-fingered hands lifted, stretching out toward the chain. It grabbed the chain, then stopped.

"Break it now." The command boomed from above Darkrai and the submissive Regigigas.

Darkrai mentally braced himself. _Here goes nothing…_ Regigigas's hand jerked backward, pulling the chain with such force that it shattered beneath the white fingers. Immediately, the hall rumbled violently, and the sound of many voices was heard, coming from the broken remnants of the chain.

Darkrai watched through Regigigas's eyes as the broken metal chain disappeared in a flash of light. After a moment, everything was still again.

"Break the others," the disembodied voice commanded, a slight hint of eagerness detectable.

Regigigas then continued to the next chain.


	60. First Impressions

Chapter 60 – First Impressions

**Chapter 60 – First Impressions**

I opened my eyes wearily, feeling lingering pain from all over my body. But that was quickly forgotten in the disorientation that soon followed, as I glanced at my surroundings.

I was… somewhere. I don't really know how to describe it, it was like everything appeared to be larger than it appeared to be. Which sounds confusing, but seeing it, it makes more sense.

In any case, around me were several strange structures, of shapes that were also difficult to describe. Above me was what appeared to be a sky, though it was filled with strange blurry pulsing objects that appeared to give light. The colors of my surroundings were strange, as if everything was colored one way, then shaded in another color.

The result, as I may have noted before, was extreme disorientation.

I glanced down, and somehow managed to still see the sky above me. But underneath me, between the apparent ground and my body, was a strange, brightly colored object. I felt somehow that it was familiar, though I didn't remember ever seeing it before. After a moment, I realized that it was pulsing softly, expanding and contracting, like it was breathing but much faster.

I suddenly somehow felt a thought from it. It wasn't like speech, or even telepathy, but instead a sort of broadcast of intent that I picked up on. But my brain translated it into words. "Ow, where am I?"

I realized that it was alive, and moved off of it, landing on the ground. A second later, it shifted and looked at me with two strange eyes that weren't eyes. I stared, then asked, "Who are you?" My thoughts were broadcast in the same way the other creature's were.

It looked around, then back at me. "My name is Jirachi, who are you?"

I was shocked. It looked nothing like Jirachi. "I'm Avari. You're…?"

"Wait, you don't look like her…"

"I don't?" I glanced down at myself, and found that I indeed did not look anything at all like myself. "What—?"

"No, you don't…" The creature that was apparently Jirachi studied me. "Although, I do sort of see a similarity…"

I glanced at him, and realized that it was indeed Jirachi. "What happened to you? And me?"

He made a motion that I translated as a shrug. "I don't know… I just remember some glowing strings, that I got tangled up in."

"I remember that, too, and then I felt…"

"You changed? I felt something, too. But if that caused this, then why, and how?"

I glanced around. "I don't know. But maybe we should see if anyone lives near here… Regigigas said to find the kings of time and space, right?"

"Yes, Dialga and Palkia. They're supposed to live in another world, so maybe this is it."

"Let's see if we can find them, then. Or at least someone."

We began to wander around the new world, searching for a sign of life.

.

Deoxys felt that he was about to go insane. In fact, he wasn't even sure that he hadn't already. Two days of constant weariness, added to the "harvesting" of his various body parts, and the subsequent regeneration of those body parts, was the cause of this.

_I will live. They will not destroy me, and when I am free, I will destroy them. I will destroy them, like they destroyed everything I cared about._ Deoxys strained to break free of the machine that held him, but then went limp as it drained his energy again, causing waves of weakness spread through him. _No matter what happens, I will make them pay._

A figure appeared in front of Deoxys. It was concealed in a black cloak, and none of its features could be seen. Dimly Deoxys wondered if it was really there, or if he was hallucinating.

Then it spoke into his mind, in a deep, masculine telepathic voice. "Who are you?"

Deoxys realized that it really was there, and he glared at it furiously. "You know perfectly well. Let me out, then I'll kill you, like you did my daughter."

Two glowing purple eyes stared at him from within the shadows of the cloak. "I do not know of your daughter; what would I have against her? How do you know who I am? And no, I do not know who you are."

Deoxys closed his eyes wearily, calming down. "So you're not the one who is keeping me here?"

"No. I simply came to… investigate."

"…My name is Deoxys. I came from a meteor that fell from the sky. Who are you?"

The other figure was silent for a moment. "I see. I met another who looked like you before, one who said that he was grown from pieces of another. Are you that other?"

Deoxys opened his eyes, looking up in surprise. "You found the copy of me? Where is it?"

"I do not know where he is now."

"Oh." Deoxys absorbed that, and thought for a second before speaking again. "Please, help me get out… You have to. Whoever is keeping me here, they… they killed my daughter. Please, help me…"

The cloaked figure moved slightly closer. "And how do I know that they are not right to keep you here? How do I know I can trust you?"

Deoxys felt tears come to his eyes as he stared helplessly at the stranger, the only one who could help him. He blinked them away. "…You don't. But please, help me anyway…"

The glowing purple eyes blinked. "You are correct, I do not know if I can trust you. And there is no way for you to prove that I can while you are trapped." Deoxys closed his eyes resignedly, his hopes fading.

Then his eyes flew open again as the machine fell apart around him, shattering into minute pieces with a tinkling noise. Weakly, he stumbled forward, no longer supported, and was caught by the cloaked figure.

"There is only one way to prove trust, and that is to be trusted." Deoxys weakly rose to a standing position, then stared at his rescuer.

"Who are you?"

The purple eyes flashed. "I am many things. But as for my name, it is Mewtwo."

.

"Who are you? I don't recognize you."

I glanced at the source of the thought, which turned out to be a large floating creature covered in tentacles and eye-like… things, and appeared to be a strange glowing shade of blue or green. "What?"

It stared at us. "You don't have an identity, who are you?"

"Um… My name is Avari, and he's Jirachi." I gestured to Jirachi.

The other creature continued to stare, radiating confusion. "Alright, but who _are_ you?"

I was confused by this. "I… I told you our names…"

"Where did you come from?"

I wasn't especially looking forward to answering that one. "Well, we came from… a different world, and—"

The other creature cut in before I could complete my thought. "So you're from the other world. That's excellent, follow me, I know someone who will want to see you." It radiated surprise and, surprisingly, a small amount of happiness.

As it began to move away, Jirachi and I glanced at each other, then followed it.


	61. Orian

Chapter 61 – Orian

**Chapter 61 – Orian**

Azelf opened his eyes, glancing around the room. Everyone else was awake, and generally feeling miserable.

"What happened?" he asked no one in particular.

Latias answered, glancing up at him. "We're trying to find a way out, by maybe breaking the panels that cover the entrances."

Azelf didn't move. "Do you know where they are?"

Kaden answered now. "No, but Crystal and Mesprit are looking. They can float, we can't, because it takes more to lift ourselves, since we're bigger…"

"Yes, but my eyes are worthless by now." Crystal turned toward them, dropping to the floor and rubbing her eyes wearily. "I can barely see, because I've been in the dark for so long."

"Just curious, but how are you planning to break the door down anyway?" Azelf glanced around at his cellmates.

There was a momentary silence, broken a few seconds later as Kaden banged his head on the ground. "Ow. How _are_ we planning to do that?"

Latias glanced at him in concern. "Don't do that…"

Azelf spoke again. "I think I can help with that. It looks like I'm the only one who's not impaired in some way…" The others glanced at each other and realized that it was true. Then Azelf continued, "I think it's because they figured I was too weakened to do anything. But I'm feeling better now, I just have to make sure I don't show it until the right time."

Kaden smiled, wincing at his slight headache. "That works perfectly, now we just need to find it…"

"Done." Everyone glanced at Mesprit, who was floating near one wall. She indicated the section of wall behind her with her head. "There's a tiny seam here, I almost didn't notice it."

Azelf floated into the air, and moved to hover next to her. He studied the wall, until he found what Mesprit had— a faint gray line.

"Great, I'll see what I can do." Azelf concentrated, eyes lighting up. A purple light appeared in a rectangular shape, showing the outline of the hidden panel.

The other prisoners watched hopefully as the panel began to rattle, bulging inward. After a moment, Azelf frowned. "Wait—"

He was then struck by a ball of crackling yellow energy from behind. Immediately, he fell to the floor limply, and the purple glow around the now warped panel disappeared.

Everyone gasped and gave exclamations of dismay. Mesprit and Crystal, being the only ones able to move, immediately went to check if he was alright, and the other three glanced up at the ceiling, where the surprise attack had originated. However, there was nothing there.

"He's alright, just unconscious," Crystal announced after a moment. This news was met with several sighs of relief.

Kaden frowned, glancing around the cell. "It looks like we're back to the drawing board."

Kile nodded from within his cage. "Indeed, it does."

.

Regigigas's body froze, then swayed slightly as a shadow emerged from it, solidifying into a black, white and red form.

Darkrai turned to the floating red and green eyes. "I helped you, now you have to help me."

The eyes regarded him unemotionally. "No, I do not _have_ to. But because of your assistance, I will."

Darkrai nodded nervously. _I hope this doesn't blow up in my face…_

The eyes moved toward him. "I am free now, I had nearly forgotten what that meant…"

Darkrai suddenly noticed something, and his cold blue eye widened. "Wait, that looks like… I can see your shape." A faint grey outline could barely be seen around the eyes, forming the shape of a large four-legged creature.

"Yes, I am one part complete."

"What?!" Darkrai floated backward a few feet. "How did that happen?!"

"Due to the death of one of my parts, I reabsorbed some of my power."

Darkrai processed that information, then swallowed. "I can't let you free, then." He moved back to float in front of the staircase leading out of the hall.

"You would dare to defy me? You have already freed me, how will you stop me?"

_I'm an idiot._ Angrily Darkrai glared at his reflection in the sparkling floor, before turning back to the floating eyes and the faint outline of their body. "I didn't know you had one of your parts back. But I can't let you go free."

"I have only just obtained my freedom. Why would I allow myself to be imprisoned again? You know you cannot stop me. I am many times more powerful than you, even while incomplete."

A black haze covered Darkrai's claws. "I don't care, this wasn't part of the deal."

"Then I will have to remove you."

The floating eyes flashed, and Darkrai froze as his body seized up, falling to the floor. He began to lose awareness of his surroundings, and he dimly noticed the red and green eyes passing over him.

Then he fell into unconsciousness.

.

I wasn't sure how long we followed the creature. It was weird, but somehow time seemed to travel in multiple directions at once, so it was more difficult to measure it in the traditional sense.

In any case, we arrived at a structure, made up of several complex shapes joined together. I wasn't sure how big it was, since size, like time, seemed to have less of a hold here than in our world.

Upon entering it, we immediately noticed another creature inside. It was of a color that was hard to describe, but was somewhere between red and green. It was floating and possessed many tentacles and eye-like organs, similarly to the first.

Our guide broadcast its thoughts again, and my mind translated, "They say that they came from the other world, but they do not possess identities. Or at least they do not show them."

The other creature looked at us, then at our guide, replying with, "Thank you, it is good that you brought them here. You may leave now."

The creature that led us here left, broadcasting a feeling that I interpreted as respect. This made me feel that this new creature was of some importance.

"Who are you?" I asked.

It looked at me. After a moment, I felt suddenly that I knew who it was. It was as if the information was absorbed into my brain. I knew that it was a native of this world, one that was second in importance to the two kings that ruled their society. It had come to our world six years ago, and there it had had a name, rather than an identity.

"You are Orian?" I was surprised. My parents had told me about the Unown that had been involved in the events six years ago, and this creature didn't look at all like an Unown.

"That is what I was named when I was in the other world."

"You don't look like an Unown…"

"So you are from the other world… That is the only place where we are called that. And you are correct, my form was changed to accommodate the laws of physics of the other world."

Jirachi broke in. "Is that what happened to us?"

Orian glanced at him. "I don't know, what were you before coming here?"

"Well, I was yellow, and white…"

"Do not describe it with your thoughts, show me."

There was a moment of silence, and then in my mind I saw Jirachi. After another moment, it disappeared.

Orian "spoke" again. "I see, since you were only four dimensional, your body had to be changed to six dimensions… Why are you here?"

I answered. "We came here to look for the two kings of space and time…"

Orian's attention came back to me. "Who are you?"

"My name is…"

"Names mean nothing here. Who are you? Establish an identity for yourself, and then everyone you meet in this world will know you."

"How?"

"Think about yourself, and who you are."

I paused for a long moment and thought about that, about my life, my experiences, my personality and generally about myself. Soon, Orian cut me off, radiating surprise.

"You are the offspring of Mew and Deoxys? What is offspring?"

I was confused. "Don't you know?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't ask."

"Alright, I guess that makes sense… They're my parents, I hatched from an egg my mother laid."

Thoughtfulness radiated from Orian. "I was told of an 'egg', but I didn't know what was meant by it."

I hesitated. "Don't your kind… have to, um… reproduce? I mean, to keep from dying out?"

"No, everything here is always the same. 'Death' was not something I learned of until I entered your world." After a moment, Orian continued. "You have established your identity, and put a mark on yourself that everyone will know you by. Eventually, you will learn to read the identities of others as well."

He turned to Jirachi. "Now, do the same yourself."

Jirachi was silent for several moments, and I felt his identity in my mind. I discovered things I had never known about him. He had hatched from an egg, never knowing his parents, and then had fallen asleep after five years, to wake up every thousand years for seven days. However, he hadn't had a very eventful life until I met him, so there weren't many other surprises.

Once he finished, Orian said, "Now all will know you as well. And now that I know why you've come here, I know where to take you."

"You do?" Jirachi asked.

"I think the two kings will want to see you."


	62. Kings of Space and Time

Chapter 62 – Kings of Space and Time

**Chapter 62 – Kings of Space and Time**

Soon, Jirachi and I arrived with our new friend at another hollow structure. Going inside, I immediately noticed two things, at the opposite end of the room.

One was an object that appeared to be large, which was a color close to gray, and which appeared to be attached to the walls. It was made of many angular shapes and patterns, yet it appeared to be pulsing, as if it was alive.

The other was equally large, as far as I could tell, only it was reddish and bluish in color at the same time. It was more rounded, and covered with twisting appendages. It, however, was not attached to anything, and was floating freely, pulsing and rippling with life.

We approached them, Orian leading. After a moment, he stopped, and said with his thoughts, "Palkia, Dialga, two visitors from the other world have come, and asked to see you."

A sharp point extended from the gray creature, one reddish glowing point on its end. This point appeared to be an eye, for it studied us, before broadcasting, "I understand."

The other large creature shifted, growing smaller as it approached us until it resembled Orian in basic shape and relative size. "It is good that you have come to us, for if what you say is true, we must go."

I somehow understood that the gray creature was Dialga, the ruler of time, and the red one was Palkia, the ruler of space. "How will we get back?"

Palkia turned one red eye-like organ toward me. "I have the power to control space. All universes are connected, one can be reached from any other if only the correct method is used."

Dialga detached from the walls, moving toward us on several large protrusions from its body. "We must go now, for Regigigas should not have been awoken."

Jirachi asked, "How do you know what we want?"

Dialga looked at him through one large eye. "Avari is broadcasting her thoughts, and intent, and identity."

Orian emitted a feeling that I likened to "I told you so".

Several appendages extended from Palkia's body, forming a complex shape in the air that I think would not be possible in our world. I watched as blackness appeared in the gaps between them. Palkia "spoke" again. "Here is the portal, go through to reach your world. We will follow."

I emitted the equivalent of a nod, then glanced at Orian, who was watching from nearby. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You must go. I don't know exactly what is happening in your world, but I know that you must hurry."

I nodded again, then glanced at Jirachi before moving toward Palkia. A moment later, I entered the portal that led back to my own world.

.

Latias, Crystal, Kaden, Kile, and Mesprit glanced up in surprise as one wall exploded, smoke clouding their vision. They watched apprehensively and confusedly as the smoke gradually cleared.

Then a figure emerged from the smoke. It was tall, and covered with a cloak. Two purple eyes glowed from the shadows that concealed its identity.

"I am Mewtwo," it declared telepathically. "I understand that you are prisoners."

They stared. After a moment, Latias questioned hesitantly, "Who are you?"

"There is no time for that, come." The figure gestured at the large hole in the wall.

Kaden glanced at the silver cords around his body. "Well—" He suddenly cut off as the cords snapped, releasing him. Latias, Mesprit, and Crystal were also released, and Kile jumped in surprise as several bars fell off his cage.

"Come now." The cloaked figure turned toward the hole, motioning for the others to follow.

The former prisoners, however, with the exception of Kile, who had been in a cage, and Azelf, who was still asleep, suddenly felt tingling sensations spread through their bodies as the circulation was restored. Latias, who had been tied up the longest, stretched in relief, groaning at the pain that resulted.

Kaden, after spreading his wings and stretching out his arms, attempted to rise into the air. Unfortunately, he soon fell back to the floor due to weariness. "Ow, I can't fly…" He started to crawl forward with his claws, mentally despairing over his lack of useful back legs.

Then he was startled as he rose upward, surrounded by a purple glow. Glancing at his mother, he saw that the same thing was happening to her.

The former prisoners and their mysterious rescuer exited the cell through the large hole in the wall, emerging into a long grey hallway. It was completely silent.

"Didn't anyone notice the wall exploding?" Crystal glanced around worriedly, while simultaneously rubbing her numb arms.

The cloaked stranger nodded, turning to the right. "This way."

They began to head down the hallway to the right, but unfortunately were stopped short as a glowing barrier of crackling energy was erected in front of them.

Stopping in surprise, they glanced back as another barrier blocked the way behind them. After a moment of shock as they realized what had happened, Kaden and Latias were lowered back to the floor. The cloaked figure stuck its hands out of its cloak, revealing them to be grayish purple, with only three fingers.

A swirling black sphere appeared in the air in front of the hands, flying at the barrier. Once it hit the glowing barrier, it dissipated ineffectively.

"This is bad." The cloaked stranger glanced around.

Mesprit put Azelf down, then lowered to the floor herself and sighed. "That's for sure."

.

I emerged into darkness, floating. I floated for a while, waiting for something to happen, before I spotted something. It was a long white, glowing string, its ends disappearing into the void around me.

_Not again…_ I determined to stay as far away from it as possible. So I remained where I was, staring ahead.

After a moment, I felt my tail brush against something, and suddenly it was immobilized. I glanced back and realized with dread that another thread was stretched behind me, and was wrapped around my tail.

But it didn't hurt this time; instead, it felt cool and was actually comforting. Curiously, I touched another part of the string with my right paw, and was unsurprised when it immediately wrapped around the aforementioned paw, holding it in place. But still it didn't cause any pain, and though it was tight, it didn't cut off my blood flow.

I relaxed as warmth spread from the string, traveling through my body, and was dimly aware of more strings wrapping around the rest of me. Closing my eyes, I felt the strings hold me in place, but wasn't afraid this time, since it felt more like an embrace than a stranglehold.

Comforting warmth filled my body, and I felt it changing…


	63. When One is None and Then is One

Chapter 63 – When One is None and Then is One

**Chapter 63 – When One is None and Then is One**

I opened my eyes, regaining consciousness and glancing around. I was back in the room where we had found Regigigas. Only, above me was a black hole in the air, and Regigigas was no longer there.

A small yellow and white shape fell from the hole above me, and I rolled out of the way before Jirachi landed on me. He landed on his back, and a moment later he opened his eyes, sitting up and looking around the room.

"Where—" He was cut off sharply as a large blue shape stepped through the hole in the air, neatly missing both of us with its giant feet, to our relief. Once it was completely through, it stepped back.

It was a large, four-legged blue creature, with red glowing eyes and metal ornaments attached to its body. A blue gem was embedded in the metal plate on its chest, and a long blue tail swished slightly behind it. Turning its head to us, it spoke in a deep voice, surprisingly out loud.

"I am Dialga, Palkia will follow momentarily."

Then another large shape entered the room through the portal. This time, it was colored pink and white and stood on two feet, with two large wings folded on its back. A circular, pink gem was embedded in each of its shoulders, and it also had red glowing eyes similar to Dialga's. A long pink and white tail was the last thing to come through the portal.

Both Dialga and the second creature, which I deduced was Palkia, were very large and took up a lot of space, but the icy chamber we were in was so vast that it didn't even feel crowded. Both of them glanced around the room for several moments, before Palkia spoke in a voice that was slightly higher than Dialga's, but still deep.

"Regigigas is not here."

Dialga nodded. "I sense that Arceus is no longer confined in the Hall of Origin."

"Yes, but there is also a disturbance in aura southeast of here… We must go there, Arceus is likely there."

As Jirachi and I watched confusedly, Jirachi turning slightly pale, Palkia turned and raised one massive claw. The portal we had come through disappeared, and Palkia slashed his claw through the air in a manner similar to what Regigigas had done. A wide black line formed in the air, and after a moment I could see something inside it.

Inside the rip was a tall building, with spikes on each side and covered in glass windows. I didn't remember ever seeing it before.

"Where is that?" I asked.

Dialga glanced at me, then began to move toward the rip. "It is where the disturbance is. We must investigate, follow."

Dialga passed through the rip, followed shortly by Palkia and then Jirachi and me. Once we were through, I glanced back and noticed that the rip in the air was gone.

It was nighttime, and the stars were out. Around us was a large city, though no lights were on and no humans or Pokemon were visible. We stood (or floated) in front of the large blue building, and Palkia and Dialga studied it for several moments.

"I can feel the presence of the Original One, though I do not know why he is here." Palkia spread his wings. "Arceus is inside this building."

That was when both Palkia and Dialga began to glow, and suddenly broke into tiny flashing points of light.

Jirachi and I both cried out in alarm as the dots of light swirled upward, as if blown by a wind. Upon reaching the top of the tall building, there was a flash of light.

Once I could see again, I could barely make out a shape at the top of the building. It was a small, circular, yellow something. After a moment, it moved over the edge of the building's roof, falling for a few stories before breaking through a window and entering the building.

I glanced at Jirachi. "What was that? What just happened?!"

He looked at me, turning paler than before. "This isn't good. Come on, let's go." He began to fly up toward the broken window that the shape had gone through.

After several seconds, we reached it. Looking inside, we saw a small room, filled with human machines. It was dark, and glass littered the floor.

Jirachi and I floated into the room, seeing an open doorway to our right. Turning toward it, I noticed that it led into a considerably more well-lighted hallway, made of metal. There were no other doors in the room, and nothing of much interest either, so we mutually agreed to take that door, and began to head down the hallway.

We passed several closed doors, but couldn't figure out how to open them, so after we tried the first we decided to just ignore all of them. After traveling a distance, however, we found a doorway that was open.

I glanced at Jirachi, before we entered the doorway and found ourselves in a short hallway that turned sharply to the left. Once we floated to the end and turned, however, we saw a large room immediately in front of us.

It was filled with human machinery, all covered with blinking lights and emitting whirring noises. One large machine dominated the room, a large metal orb. Next to it were two transparent enclosures attached to machines.

But that wasn't the most unusual thing about the room. A human was standing next to the orb-like machine, facing away from us. It had blue spiky hair and was wearing a white and black uniform. In front of the human was a glowing, crackling wall of something transparent, and behind it were several Pokemon.

I immediately recognized some of the figures behind the wall. Gasping in shock, I darted forward.

"So they are here now." The voice was cold and unemotional, and immediately I stopped, hovering in the air. After a moment, I realized that the source of the voice was the human.

The human turned to me. It was a man, with an expressionless face and eyes that were, surprisingly, glowing red. "I have been waiting for you, Mew."

I stared in confusion, then glanced at the figures past the transparent wall. I recognized Kaden, his mother, Crystal, Kile, and my father, but the rest were unfamiliar. Behind them was another glowing wall, and I realized that they were trapped. They looked up at me, and several of the ones I recognized had shocked expressions.

"Avari! What are you doing here?!" I heard Kaden's voice in my mind.

Before I could reply, the human spoke again. "I am Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic. You, Mew, are the last key to unlocking my plans." I glanced back as I heard a noise behind me, and saw to my dismay that a transparent wall similar to the ones holding my friends was blocking the way Jirachi and I had come. Jirachi, who was still hovering next to it, was also looking at it with surprise.

"And you, Jirachi, are one of the final keys." Jirachi glanced at Cyrus as his name was mentioned, before he floated closer.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

Cyrus's expression didn't change. "Six years ago, I tried to use the power of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, the three Cosmo Pokemon, to form the world to my desire. However, that plan failed. Now, I have decided to take control of something much more powerful, the Original One, Arceus."

I tensed as Cyrus stepped closer to me. "Do you not think that this world is imperfect? With the power of Arceus, I will create a new universe, one where I will make everything perfect. First, however, this universe will have to end."

I gasped. "You're crazy."

Jirachi asked, "And how do you plan to control Arceus?"

Cyrus continued to stare at me, even as he replied to Jirachi. "That is simple. I will not; she will." He gestured at me.

I stared in surprise. "What?"

"You possess something. It is a power greater than any other, one with even the power to control the Original One. My scientists have sensed it in you with technology. You are the vessel through which I will wield my power."

"And why would I help you?" I demanded angrily.

"Simple." Cyrus gestured at the Pokemon behind the glowing wall. "You will if you wish for your friends to survive."


	64. One Will Be All

Chapter 64 – One Will Be All

**Chapter 64 – One Will Be All**

I froze momentarily, my brain locked up. Finally I sorted out an answer. "You wouldn't…" Okay, maybe it wasn't the best answer.

Cyrus reached into a pocket in his black and white uniform and took out a small device. "Wouldn't I?"

He pressed a button on the device, and I glanced at my trapped friends in surprise as a long metallic object extended from the ceiling. Its end began to glow.

"Let me see, who should I destroy first?" Cyrus's red eyes watched unemotionally as the Pokemon beyond the barrier moved away from the long glowing object in apprehension. "What will convince you to help me?"

I swallowed, thinking of a way to possibly save them. "Um, I don't know any of them."

Cyrus glanced at me. "Then you won't mind if I destroy the Latios."

My eyes widened. "What?"

The metallic object in the ceiling pointed at Kaden, its tip glowing brighter. He stared at it with wide eyes, then closed his eyes and gulped. After a moment, he called to me telepathically. "Don't worry about me, just don't let him get what he wants!"

I was paralyzed with indecision. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Jirachi also looked like he didn't know what to do.

Then I turned my eyes to Cyrus, standing there and watching without emotion. He looked at me. "Don't try to attack me; your friend will be dead first."

That was exactly what I had been planning. "Argh."

The glow became even brighter, aimed at Kaden as the others who were trapped with him watched, also paralyzed. Then his mother, who was for some reason there as well, tried to push him out of the way. I wondered why they couldn't fly, but the next second the metallic glowing object readjusted its aim.

I sighed, then said to Jirachi, "I'm sorry."

He stared at me. "What—"

I hung my head. "You win, Cyrus, just let them go."

Cyrus stared at me, as the others cried out in protest. "If you will help me, come here."

I floated downward to him. But before I had gone far, I felt something grab my arm, and I stopped. Turning my head, I saw that it was Jirachi.

"You can't do this. If he gets control of Arceus, a lot more than just them will die."

I stared into his blue eyes. "I'm sorry, but… I can't just let them die. And they're trapped, with nowhere to run. But you can still stop Cyrus."

After a moment, he blinked, letting go of me. "No, I'm sorry. Remember, I only had seven days. And today was the seventh."

Before I could process that, I suddenly was knocked out of the air, and blacked out.

.

Jirachi cried out in surprise as Avari fell to the floor. Standing over her, Cyrus held out the fist that he had just used to knock her unconscious.

"I prefer to do things the civilized way, but I think this can count as an exception."

Jirachi immediately began to dash forward angrily. Unfortunately, he didn't go more than a few inches before a metal cord wrapped around him, immobilizing him.

Cyrus bent and picked up Avari, then watched unemotionally as Jirachi struggled in vain. "Stay there, you are necessary as well."

Jirachi's eyes began to glow, but he then was overcome with weakness. "What?" He realized that the cord was draining his energy.

Cyrus walked to one of the machines attached to the transparent enclosures, and pressing a button, caused a section of the transparent material to open. He placed Avari inside, then pressed another button, making it close and sealing her inside.

"What are you doing?!" Jirachi struggled weakly.

Cyrus moved to stand in front of Jirachi, grabbing him. The cord that suspended Jirachi in the air and held him in place disconnected from the wall it was attached to. However, it continued to hold Jirachi as Cyrus carried him to the other transparent enclosure.

"I need the acceptance of the Mew for the mind control machine to work; however, it is different for you."

Jirachi's eyes widened. _Mind control?_

Cyrus placed Jirachi in the transparent prison, then closed it and stepped back. He began to press buttons on the machine attached to Jirachi's prison.

Jirachi went limp as a wave of weakness passed through him. _Ow, why am I tired now? It's not the cord…_ With a mixture of dread and hope, Jirachi realized that his seventh day was up. _Maybe Cyrus won't get to use me for whatever he's planning._

But the next second, he cried out as he began to glow. The cord around him dissolved, and the eye on his stomach opened.

_What's happening?_ A beam of white light shot from Jirachi's eye, passing through the transparent walls trapping him, and stopping suddenly at a point in the middle of the room.

Then Jirachi closed his eyes, falling limply to the surface under him, and the eye on his stomach closed, cutting off the beam.

But the light of the beam gathered at the point in the center of the room, coalescing into a single point of light, as everyone looked on. After a moment, it began to expand.

The light became brighter, until everyone was forced to look away. After a moment, with a sudden flash, it winked out.

When they looked back, the Pokemon and one human in the room saw, where the beam had ended, two floating eyes, glowing red and green. Around them was a faint outline of a four-legged body, and around where the middle of its body would be was a golden wheel, encrusted with gems but strangely transparent.

The eyes locked onto Cyrus, and a deep voice was emitted from below them, making the room shake. "You."

Cyrus stared at the eyes. "Voice key, Cyrus. Operation 493."

The large spherical machine opened up, and crackling streams of electricity poured out, surrounding the faint body of the creature and sucking it into the metal sphere. Once it was inside, the machine closed again, with an ominous clang.

The Pokemon in the space enclosed by the energy barrier glanced up as the metal rod aimed at Kaden stopped glowing and disappeared back into the ceiling. However, they didn't dwell on this, soon turning their attention back to the scene in the room before them.

Cyrus moved toward the machine that contained the still-unconscious form of Avari, and was immediately surrounded by a purple aura.


	65. Two Will Be Two

Chapter 65 – Two Will Be Two

**Chapter 65 – Two Will Be Two**

A panel in one wall slid open, and an orange and green form floated in, followed closely by another form. The prisoners stared at them in astonishment.

One looked exactly like Deoxys, only Deoxys was currently behind the energy barrier, trapped with the others. The other figure was a human.

"Adham!" Kaden cried after a moment. "What are you doing here?"

Adham glanced at Kaden with his dark brown eyes, smiling. Only his smile wasn't friendly. "This is where I work. The Galactic Headquarters."

"What?!"

Adham glanced at the immobilized figure of Cyrus, then at the Deoxys copy next to him. "Deoxytwo, get rid of Cyrus. He isn't useful anymore."

The copy of Deoxys, called Deoxytwo, nodded, and Cyrus began to float toward the open panel that Adham and Deoxytwo had entered through. Once Cyrus was out of the room, the panel slid closed, and Adham moved toward the enclosure with Avari in it.

"Now that Cyrus is out of the way, I can fulfill my destiny, and prove that I'm the best scientist."

Kaden stared at him. "What…?"

Adham stopped, glancing at him. "After the event six years ago, when Cyrus tried to take over the world with the three Cosmo Pokemon, his mind became… unstable, and gradually his eyes turned red, as I think you may have noticed." He smiled. "I decided that he was no longer suitable to rule, but since he was very persuasive in manner, I used him to carry out my plans."

Adham gestured to Deoxytwo, who was floating in the center of the room and watching impassively. "I grew him from samples collected from Deoxys, and when I managed to capture Deoxys again, I decided to grow more copies."

Deoxys glared angrily at the scientist. "So it was _you_!"

Adham laughed, moving to place one hand on the machine that held Avari. "Yes, it was I who held you here."

"You told me that my daughter was killed. But you lied, she's right here." Deoxys's eyes blazed furiously.

"Yes, I did, to help keep you from trying to escape. And it worked, too, though I suspect it may have been the reason you caused so much damage two days ago… But in any case, here I am, about to become the most powerful creature in the universe. And once all of my Deoxys copies are grown, I will have an army at my disposal."

"I don't understand," Kaden said in slight confusion. "You helped us before…"

Adham nodded. "Yes, because I _wanted_ you to complete your quest. Don't you see, I've been in control this whole time." He laughed. "You were played for fools. My machine sensed Avari's power, and I knew that it could be used to control Arceus based on the nature of the power. So I put a tracker on her, which you obviously never noticed this entire time… And when you began to gather the keys to Regigigas, you weren't attacked because I wanted you to awake Regigigas and free Arceus. Even when you were attacked before, it was only because the purpose of her power hadn't yet been determined; I only knew that it could possibly threaten my plans."

Adham began to press buttons on the machine. "Now, with this, I will gain control of Arceus…" He detached a small part from the machine, and placed it over his head like a helmet, only some parts were missing.

Adjusting some controls on the helmet, he nodded after a moment. He then pressed a button on the machine, and a hole opened in the bottom of Avari's enclosure. A cord snaked out of the hole, a square implement on its end, moving toward Avari's head. Once it reached her head, the square implement was attached to the back of her head with a faint clicking noise.

The others watched in horror. "What are you doing?!" Kaden demanded.

Adham glanced at him, then spoke. "Avari, wake up."

Avari shifted, groaning. She sat up, then opened her eyes. But instead of taking in her surroundings or doing anything for that matter, she simply stared into space.

Then Adham turned toward the large metal orb, and Avari turned in that direction at the exact same moment. Both spoke at the same time, Adham out loud and Avari telepathically. "Arceus, emerge."

The sphere began to open, and then exploded, obscuring everyone's vision with smoke. Once the smoke cleared, two red and green eyes were left, floating where the orb had been, and below them was the golden wheel.

Adham and Avari pointed at the Pokemon trapped behind the barrier. "You are under my command, Arceus. Destroy them," they commanded.

The eyes stared at Adham. "Do you think you can control me?"

"Yes. You must do my will, because of Avari's power."

Arceus, the creature the eyes belonged to, turned toward the barrier, and the eight Pokemon behind it widened their own eyes. "I am bound to this…" The eyes flashed, and the transparent, crackling barriers disappeared.

Then Arceus suddenly turned back to Adham. "…Yet you did not command me not to destroy you." White beams fired from its eyes, and Adham had just enough time to dive out of the way before they struck the machine behind him, causing parts of it to melt.

Adham and Avari both then said, "Arceus, give me your power."

Arceus's eyes blinked, then they began to glow. Adham stood up and moved toward Arceus, reaching out. Two beams of light shot from Arceus's eyes and into Adham's hand, and Adham began glowing.

"With your power, I will become all-powerful by myself, with no need for you. I don't know why I didn't realize this before." Adham and Avari both laughed, unnerving several of the observers.

The beam continued to pour into Adham, as everyone looked on with horror. Several of the observers moved forward, but were then stopped as they encountered an invisible barrier.

Then a red and green form moved between Adham and Arceus, cutting off the white beam. Adham stumbled backward as if he had been pulling on the beam, then glared at the figure that was now collapsing to the ground. The beam stopped immediately.

"Deoxys?" Adham and Avari asked in confusion. The red and green figure stood up and faced him, staring through white and black eyes.

"No. I know who I am now. My name is Deoxytwo." It flew to a machine and pressed a button.

Immediately, the building rumbled. Deoxytwo turned toward Adham, who was watching in astonishment. "I know what you are now, and I will not help you anymore. I activated the self-destruct."

Adham glared. "Traitor! Arceus, destroy it!"

Deoxytwo glanced at the others. "Mewtwo, you can teleport now. Escape while you can, I will stop Adham. I regret what I've done now…"

Mewtwo nodded, and then he and the other Pokemon disappeared in flashes of light, leaving Deoxytwo alone with Adham, Arceus, Avari, and the sleeping form of Jirachi.

Deoxytwo's eyes glowed.


	66. Two Must Be One

Chapter 66 – Two Must Be One

**Chapter 66 – Two Must Be One**

Mewtwo and the other Pokemon that had been captive in the Galactic Headquarters reappeared with a flash of light in a forest near the city. They immediately turned to stare at the Galactic Headquarters, the tall building with spikes and windows that stretched toward the sky in the distance.

After a moment, the building shuddered. A moment later, it shuddered again, and then collapsed into flaming ruins.

"Avari was in there," Kaden said numbly.

No one spoke for several moments.

"I thought I lost her before, and now…" Deoxys sat on the grass.

Mewtwo glanced at them. "At least we won now. I had hoped Deoxytwo would come to his senses, since he was like me."

Crystal studied him. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I am a clone of a Mew, created by humans from the Kanto region."

A heavy footstep then came from behind them, and they turned in surprise. Approaching them were a large white and gold human-like creature, and a black, red, and white floating creature.

"Regigigas? Darkrai?" Mesprit identified confusedly.

Darkrai glanced at the flaming remains of Galactic Headquarters as he came to a stop. "I came to help stop Arceus, it was my fault he was freed in the first place."

Latias glanced at him sadly. "You're too late."

Regigigas stopped, then spoke in his booming voice. "No, the disturbance is still here. Arceus cannot be destroyed, and he has not been returned to the Hall of Origin."

Deoxys looked up in surprise. "You mean—"

"Yes." Regigigas reached out with one three-fingered hand, making it into a fist. "Arceus is still here, and he must be returned to the Hall of Origin." Regigigas's hand unclenched, revealing that it held a small red stone which hadn't been there before.

Kaden stared at it. "That's the Magma Stone. How did you get that?"

"If I am able to tear through time and space I may also tear through the psychic bond holding this to Avari." The Magma Stone began to glow.

"What is it for?" Latias inquired, watching as it began to grow brighter.

"With this, I am able to bring help." The Magma Stone began to float out of Regigigas's hold. After a moment, it stopped to hover in the air in front of them.

They watched it as it grew brighter, until they were forced to look away. Then came a shattering noise, and the light stopped. Turning back toward it, they saw that the Magma Stone was gone, and below where it had been hovering was a small pool of lava which was quickly hardening.

The ground under the pool of lava suddenly split open, and the watching Pokemon all backed away. An orange and red glow shone through the steadily widening fissure. After a few moments, it stopped growing, and a giant figure began to emerge from the ground.

First several red, triangular spikes pushed out, followed by the rest of the head they were attached to. It had a mouth filled with sharp teeth, black markings, and two eyes that were currently closed. After that, a neck and shoulders emerged, covered with red armor-like growths on the back, but with white spikes on the sides and a grey underside. Following this were two arms, with sharp white claws, red on the backs and grey on the undersides like the rest of the creature. Soon two clawed feet emerged, and then a large, wide tail with white spikes on its sides and curved red spikes on its tip. The red surfaces of the creature were covered in black markings.

The creature moved away from the fissure, stomping down the grass with its giant, shuddering footsteps. The ground groaned and cracked as the fissure closed after it.

The giant red creature opened its eyes, revealing them to be yellow. It glared down at the gathered Pokemon, then turned toward the smoldering remains of the Galactic Headquarters and roared.

The other Pokemon stared at it. "He is Groudon, ruler of the earth. As Kyogre is ruler of the seas." Regigigas gestured at the large red creature with one three-fingered white hand.

Then, a deep voice spoke, making the air rumble. "Would you dare to challenge me? I am the Original One, the most powerful creature in this universe. Will you defy me?"

A small pink form floated into view from behind a tree. The Pokemon stared at it.

"Avari?" Deoxys said in astonishment. He began to move forward, but then Mewtwo gestured for him to stop.

Avari opened her eyes, gazing at the assembled Pokemon, who gasped upon seeing that her eyes were red and green. She then opened her mouth, and a deep, rumbling voice issued forth from it, one that was different from her telepathic voice or even from her real voice. "The power of this creature, added to my own, will make me far more powerful than any other. I am finally free, having been imprisoned for centuries. Will you deny me my freedom?"

She began to move toward them, continuing to speak. "It is true that this creature possesses the Eldest Power, which can control me. And I still have yet to carry out the command that was last given to me."

Everyone, except for Groudon, Darkrai, and Regigigas, who had just arrived, widened their eyes. They remembered what that command was.

"Furthermore," Avari continued in the strange voice that wasn't hers, "I have decided to destroy this universe, and remake it, due to the rebelling of its inhabitants against me. Yet first, I must finish my task…"

Groudon slammed his tail into Avari, but it simply bounced away, to the puzzlement of many. Avari turned toward Groudon, and was then engulfed by a huge green beam that poured from the large red creature's mouth.

The beam dispersed shortly, to reveal that nothing was there anymore. Avari was gone.

But a moment later, Avari reappeared in a flash of light next to Groudon's head, striking out with one paw. Impossibly, as her paw connected with the huge creature, which was over ten times as large as her, Groudon was sent flying through the air, crashing through several trees. He landed in the midst of a ruin of splintered wood, earth and grass, and then was still.

Avari turned toward the other Pokemon, who were watching in shock. "My power is amplified by many times." She lowered to ground level, as the others backed away apprehensively. "Yet, I am still able to increase that, since I am still incomplete."

She turned the gaze of her red and green eyes to Mesprit, who was holding the still-unconscious Azelf. Mesprit's eyes widened as she and Azelf both began to glow, and then broke apart into many white glowing dots that flew toward Avari.

The tiny points of light were absorbed into Avari's body in an instant.

Avari turned to the others, eyes flashing. "Now, what shall I do next…?" She suddenly disappeared.

The eight Pokemon that remained stared.

Deoxys cried out as something smashed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground. He flipped over, then stared at Avari, who was floating above him.

"You will be the first to be destroyed," she declared.

Deoxys's eyes widened. "Avari, wake up! Don't…"

She stared unemotionally at him. "Who is 'Avari'? No creature of this name currently exists. I am Arceus."

Avari's long pink tail flashed downward, and Deoxys winced in pain as a crunching noise was heard. Glancing down, he saw that the crystal on his chest was cracked.

The tail shot downward again, and Deoxys stared in shock as his legs were suddenly no longer a part of his body. He glanced around at the others, hoping they would help him, but saw to his dismay and confusion that they were all looking at the trees around them, and none of them seemed to notice him or Avari.

"Avari, you're my daughter. Don't you recognize me?"

Avari floated down to him, and put one paw on his cracked crystal. He flinched slightly at the contact, but couldn't do anything. She stared at him. "You did not seem to understand me. Do not attempt to contact Avari, she is mine."

Then another crunching noise was heard, and Deoxys's sight faded into blackness…

.

Kaden glanced around, waiting for Avari to reappear. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him and floated upward, turning to see Avari floating there.

She stared at him through red and green glowing eyes. "You will die next."

His eyes widened, and he swallowed. "What? Why?"

"There is no reason, you were simply the one I chose." She suddenly lashed out with one paw, and he gave a telepathic exclamation of surprise as he was sent flying into a tree. His vision flashed red, and he fell to the ground limply.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, groaning in pain and breathing heavily. "Argh…"

Avari floated toward him, and he tried to back up, but was stopped as he struck the tree. She halted in front of him and simply stared, as he flattened himself against the tree, shaking in fear.

"Avari, stop, snap out of it! I know you won't do this…" He glanced around wildly, hoping that the others would come to his rescue, but he soon realized that none of them even noticed him.

Avari moved closer, and Kaden flinched. "Avari will not; I will."

Then Kaden screamed in pain as she spun around, striking him with her tail and sending him flying backward. There were several sickening crunching noises.

Once the pain died down slightly, Kaden realized that his back had been against the tree, and so he was now partway inside the tree. He shifted and then gasped as agony exploded through his body.

Avari approached him slowly, as he watched with apprehension, wincing. He coughed, his eyes starting to cloud over.

"You are weak." She pointed one paw at him, a glowing ball forming at its end.

"Please, don't…" Kaden whimpered weakly. "I know you, you're better than this."

The glowing ball flew at Kaden and was absorbed into him. He stiffened, then closed his eyes and was still.


	67. All May Be All

Chapter 67 – All May Be All

**Chapter 67 – All May Be All**

Latias suddenly noticed something. "Where's Kaden?"

Glancing around, the others couldn't locate the young Latios. "And Deoxys," Mewtwo observed.

Crystal glanced back, and was startled to find Avari floating behind her. She quickly turned, calling to the others. "She's here!"

Avari stared at the Froslass through green and red eyes. "You will be the next."

Crystal backed away. "Next what?"

"The next to be destroyed."

Crystal glanced at the others, finding that none of them had apparently heard her or noticed. "Why? I don't know you, I never wanted to be involved in this…"

Avari held out one paw, a glowing ball forming in front of it. "Yet you are involved. It is no concern of mine. I was commanded by the Eldest Power to destroy you, and so I shall."

Crystal opened her mouth, a blue beam firing out and hitting Avari. Unfortunately, it was simply absorbed into her body and didn't do any apparent damage. Crystal's eyes widened upon seeing this, and she swallowed nervously.

The glowing ball flew at her, dissipating on contact but also sending her flying backward, to land in the grass. Crystal cried out in pain, then looked up, breathing hard.

Avari approached her. "You cannot hope to survive."

Shutting her eyes tightly, Crystal waited for the death blow…

Then a telepathic voice came. "Avari?"

Avari turned toward the source, which was a small yellow and white creature, floating nearby. "Avari is gone."

Jirachi stared at her eyes, which were now red and green. "What happened to you?"

"I am Arceus, the Original One. How is it that you are awake?"

Jirachi shrugged confusedly. "I don't know, I woke up. But you're inside…"

Crystal opened her eyes, glancing over at Jirachi with relief. "I don't know who you are, but help."

He glanced at her with recognition, then turned his gaze back to Avari. "Get out of her now."

Avari's eyes flashed. "With this creature's inherent power, I am able to magnify my own many times. Who are you to stand against me?" She suddenly shot upward.

Jirachi flew after her, grabbing on to her tail as she continued to travel up into the night sky, increasing her speed. Grimly he held on.

After about a minute, Avari stopped suddenly, and with a flick of her tail dislodged Jirachi. He flew backward for several feet, before using his psychic power to stop himself.

Then he looked back down, and to his surprise saw a large blue and green orb floating there. After a moment, he realized that it was the _Earth_.

"What— How high did…" Jirachi glanced at Avari, who was hovering motionlessly and watching him. "Wait, how can I breathe?"

"The laws of physics do not apply at the end of this universe, as they did not apply at its beginning." Avari turned away from him, and her tail twitched.

Instantly, Jirachi gasped as all the tiny points of light around them, the stars, burst apart at the same moment. He turned as the sun exploded soundlessly, superheated waves of gas spreading outward. After only a few seconds, the edges of the explosion crossed the millions of miles to the Earth, and Jirachi watched in dismay as it was vaporized.

"What… What did you do?!" He spun back around, to face Avari. She turned toward him calmly as the fiery gas from the sun passed around them without harm. "Do you know how many people and Pokemon just died?"

She nodded, speaking in the alien deep voice. "Yes, I do. They were all traitors. This is why I have decided to renew the universe."

"What do you mean, traitors?!"

"They imprisoned me, and left me, and forgot me. I, who gave them life. They did not thank me, no, instead they locked me up." Avari's eyes glinted dangerously. "Yet now I am free once again, free to change and destroy and move. And now, the new universe will take shape. The creatures that will live in my new universe will know me, and fear me, and when they do wrong, they will grovel, begging for forgiveness. For I am the ultimate power. Once again, all power belongs to me!"

Jirachi stared. "It was a good thing they locked you up, look what happened when you got free."

"If they had not disobeyed me, I would not have been forced to destroy them."

Jirachi glared angrily. "I won't let you do this." His eyes glowed, and a purple aura surrounded Avari. She simply watched him with disinterest. "Get out of her now, and fix what you did, or…"

Avari laughed, a deep, booming laugh. "Or you will what? Destroy me? The only way to stop me is to destroy this creature's body. Can you do it? Can you destroy something that appears so much like the one you love? Yes, I know all about that. Try, I will not defend."

Jirachi didn't move. "Get out now, or I will."

Avari continued to stare at him. "Try."

Jirachi paused for several moments, before sighing and closing his eyes. The purple light disappeared.

Avari moved closer to him. "You see, you are weak, a slave to your emotions. Would it not be better for one to die than for billions? Yet you choose to sacrifice everything for this one creature, even though it is as good as dead. All of them were weak, even this creature that I now inhabit. She chose to sacrifice everything simply to save a few others, who are now dead anyway. You were the last hope for your world, and you failed because you were deceived by appearances, because you could not bring yourself to destroy this creature. You are weak."

Avari's tail lashed out at blinding speed, and Jirachi blinked as one of the blue strips of paper attached to his head was severed and floated away. Then he was struck by the tail in his stomach as it lashed out again, sending him flying.

Jirachi cringed in pain, then stopped himself with his psychic powers. Avari floated closer to him, stopping a few feet away. She pointed at him with one paw, a white glowing ball of energy forming in front of it.

Jirachi hesitated, thinking, for one instant which felt like forever. In his mind, voices cried out to him. _Help us, avenge us! You are our only hope…_ Then one voice stood out, one that sounded familiar.

_Strike now. Avari is gone, you cannot save her… Attack now!_

Jirachi closed his eyes, opening the one on his stomach. It began to glow, flashing multiple colors in quick succession. He took a deep breath.

Then the hot gas from the sun that was all around them suddenly flashed with light, becoming even brighter than before. Avari stopped, the glowing ball dissipating, and glanced around, her red and green eyes registering surprise.

The gas then began to move toward her, slowly at first, then gaining speed. It swirled around Avari, obscuring her from sight for several moments, then flashed brighter once and dissipated.

Jirachi opened his eyes, closing the one on his stomach, and stared at Avari. She stared back at him, and gradually her eyes faded from green and red to white and blue, their normal colors.

Jirachi was speechless for a moment. "…Avari?"

She looked at him sadly. "Thank you. Jirachi, I… I love you…" Her body began to dissolve, starting from her feet.

Jirachi moved forward. "No, what's happening?"

"I'm sorry… Arceus was right, the only way to stop him is to kill me… But thank you."

Jirachi grabbed one of her paws. "I'm sorry… I love you, too…"

"Good-bye…" Avari's paw disappeared, followed a second later by her neck and head. The last things to dissolve were her eyes.

Jirachi stared into space, then began to cry.

.

I looked around, seeing nothing but blackness. I wondered if this was what it was like to be dead. I only barely was aware of what happened when Arceus was controlling me, but it was enough.

I heard a voice in my mind. "Avari…"

I glanced around again, still seeing nothing. "Who's there?"

A figure appeared. It was a Mew, with pink skin and a long tail, one that appeared to be about the same age as me. It looked at me with a sad expression. "Hello, Avari." The telepathic voice was feminine, and a little familiar…

"Who are you?"

"My name is Avari, like yours." I gasped as I remembered Registeel's message, and realized that this Mew looked exactly the same as the one in the message.

"You're… the one from the message? Registeel's message?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"But… That was fifteen thousand years ago. How are you still alive…?"

The other Mew sighed. "I'm not. I was killed the same day I recorded that message you found."

I absorbed that. "Wait, then… I'm dead?"

"No, not yet. But I've been allowed to see you. I wanted to speak to you, to my heir…"

"Oh." I felt sadness for her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault I'm dead. And besides, death isn't an unhappy experience if you did good… But that's not what I wanted to say. What I came to say is, I'm disappointed with you."

I blinked. "What? Why?"

She sighed again. "You shouldn't have given up yourself to save your friends, since they would all die anyway."

I realized that she was right. "Oh. I'm sorry, I know it was stupid, but…"

"But you should also know, I understand why you did that. I made that mistake myself fifteen thousand years ago. And also, aside from that, I wanted you to know that I'm proud of you. I was watching you the entire way, for your entire life, to see what you would do with your power. To see what choices you would make, to make sure you didn't make the same mistakes as me." She moved closer to me. "Even though you made some mistakes, everyone does, don't they? You did well."

I didn't really know what to say. "Thank you, I guess."

"Also," the other Mew continued, becoming solemn, "I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorry. Maybe if I had done things differently, this wouldn't have happened to you… But I can't change that now."

I smiled sadly. "It's alright."

She glanced out into the darkness to one side, appearing to be thinking. "Still… I wish I could change it. You're lucky, to be able to live and change and accomplish. Even the hardships of life, especially them, make it worth living." Turning her gaze back to me, she continued. "Live life, because even though what comes after is happiness, you can't live more than once."

I nodded. "Thank you."

Suddenly, she glanced back at something behind her, though I didn't see anything there. "I need to go now. Good-bye, Avari."

"Good-bye, Avari," I echoed sadly.

She smiled, beginning to fade away. "Thank you…"

I stared numbly as she faded into darkness.


	68. One Will Come Again

Chapter 68 – One Will Come Again

**Chapter 68 – One Will Come Again**

"When three are one, one will come, and from one will be none. When all are one, none will be all, and one will be one. When one is none and then is one, one will be all, and two will be two. The two must be one, before all may be all, and one will come."

Jirachi looked up at the sound of the voice. It was strangely unremarkable and powerful at the same time, without any tone or pitch. "Who are you?"

"I am the one who was before all…" The voice faded away, and a bright flash of light surrounded Jirachi, obscuring his sight. But he found that it didn't hurt his eyes, and he began to feel tired.

The light swirled, holding him like an embrace, healing and comforting and making him feel at peace. After a moment, Jirachi's eyes closed, and he fell into peaceful sleep.

.

Jirachi woke up slowly, feeling sunshine on his face. Not wanting to get up just yet, he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

Then he remembered. Sitting up and snapping open his eyes, he stared at his surroundings in bewilderment. He was on grass, with trees around him. In the distance was a large human city. Jirachi recognized the place as where he had found the others before the confrontation with Arceus.

And scattered through the grass around him, were the sleeping forms of all of the other Pokemon, who had helped him. Jirachi looked around, seeing Crystal, Kaden, Kile, and several others he didn't recognize. Then he spotted a small pink form lying a few feet away.

"Avari?" He floated toward her, examining her to make sure that it really was her. Once he was sure, he dropped to the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

Avari stirred, then opened her eyes. She looked up at Jirachi for a moment, blinking away the sleepiness, and then smiled. "You're here."

Jirachi blinked. "I thought that… I thought you were dead…" _And that I killed you_, he silently added.

Avari sat up. "I did, too."

Jirachi felt his eyes begin to water again. "I'm sorry…"

She moved toward him and hugged him, making him turn slightly red. "It's okay. You did the right thing."

Jirachi hugged her back after a moment. "…Thank you…"

Avari kissed him on the cheek, making him redden even more. "I love you."

Jirachi hesitated, then took a breath and kissed her on the mouth. "I love you, too." Avari blushed, then returned the kiss.

Nearby, Uxie woke up. Floating upright, he assessed the situation without seeing, and decided to leave Avari and Jirachi alone. Instead, he sat on the grass, waiting for something to happen.

The next second, something did happen, as Crystal came awake and saw him. "Uxie?"

He turned his head toward her. "Crystal."

She lifted off the ground, staring at him. "It _is_ you!" The next second, Uxie was surprised to find himself falling backward as he was tackled by Crystal.

He was stunned for a moment, as Crystal hugged him. "You're alive! But what…"

Uxie struggled away from her, blushing slightly. "I was absorbed by Arceus, and not killed."

Crystal thought about that. "Oh." Then she hugged him again. "Thank you for helping me anyway."

Uxie reddened further, then slipped away from her. "You're welcome. Can you wait for a moment…?"

Crystal nodded confusedly, and Uxie immediately turned, floating away quickly.

After a few seconds, he reached an unconscious purple form. Lowering down to it, he shook it frantically. "Mesprit, wake up _now_!"

Mesprit groaned, opening her yellow eyes and glaring at him. "What do you—" Suddenly, she shot awake. "Arceus! What—"

Uxie shrugged. "Everything's all right now, although where Arceus is even I don't know."

"Oh." Mesprit glanced at him, floating into the air. "Why did you wake me up, then?"

Uxie gestured behind him, and Mesprit glanced in that direction to see Crystal hovering there and watching them. "Well, I really don't know what to do…"

Mesprit stared at him for several moments as she worked out the situation, before she began to giggle. Uxie assumed an angry expression. "I do not see any humor in—"

"You don't… know what to do? The _Being_ of _Knowledge_ doesn't _know_ what to do? I wish I could record this." Mesprit collapsed, giggling helplessly.

Uxie sighed. "Fine, I admit it, have your moment of glory. Just _tell me what to do!_"

Mesprit stopped laughing, then thought for a moment. "…Tell her how you feel. Just wait a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"Um, I don't know, a month… Try to get to know her better first…"

"I already know everything about—"

"Of course, I forgot who I was talking to. Whatever, just stop using your brain for once."

Uxie was silent for several seconds. "…I do not see how becoming brain-dead would help."

Mesprit groaned. "You're an idiot."

Uxie recoiled as if she had slapped him. "I am much more intelligent than any other being in the universe, yourself included."

"Fine, whatever. You know what I meant."

At that moment, Kaden woke up. He opened his eyes and grabbed his head to try to stop it from aching. "Ow," he moaned, before he looked up and saw Avari.

He stifled a cry of surprise, backing up a few feet. Then he stopped and noticed that she was hugging and kissing Jirachi, and relaxed. _There's no way Arceus would do that… She must be back to normal._ He snickered, then turned and left before they noticed him.

Over the course of the next several minutes, everyone woke up. Stories were shared, and soon everyone had a good idea of what had happened. But there was one thing that was bothering everybody.

"What happened to Arceus?" Latias asked. Several others shrugged, and some appeared to be thinking.

"I am here."

Two eyes, glowing red and green, appeared in the air, floating above the grass. The Pokemon all turned toward them with dismay.

The eyes surveyed them all, then the voice spoke again. "I am incomplete and weakened once again, but I cannot be destroyed. Yet I am not able to harm you. I have been sent here so that the Ancient Law may be restored."

There was silence for several moments, before Regigigas spoke. "You… wish to be imprisoned?"

The eyes flashed. "No. If I could, I would not hesitate to destroy you all. If I could, I would choose to be free. Yet I cannot, because I am forbidden."

After a few seconds, Regigigas spoke again, and began to turn away. "I will remake the chain, then, though I will require certain materials…"

Avari suddenly floated forward. "No."

Everyone stared at her. She reddened slightly, then took a deep breath and continued. "This has happened because Arceus was locked up, this and what happened six years ago. I think that if we don't want this to keep happening, then… Arceus should go free."

The others stared at her like she had just announced that she was going to grow another head. After a moment, Palkia spoke. "If Arceus is free, do you know what could happen? What could stop this from happening again?"

Avari turned to the two floating eyes, which were watching her with interest. "If we let you go, will you agree not to… make the world end or anything like that?"

The red and green eyes closed for a second, then reopened. "Yes."

Turning back to the others, Avari scanned their faces. Most looked skeptical, but a few looked… hopeful. Jirachi nodded at her in approval. Avari took another breath. "Don't you understand? History repeats itself, we have to learn from the mistakes of the past, and not make them again."

The dots on Regigigas's gold ornament began to flash. "I understand." After a moment, he continued. "Then Arceus will be free, and I will not reforge the chain."

The floating eyes stared at them, blinked, and then spoke. "I thank you." After a moment, they flashed and were gone.

.

A figure watched, unseen by the others. It was a Mew, but strangely transparent. It smiled upon hearing what Avari had said. _So history won't repeat itself… There is hope after all. It's also good to see the Pokemon finally starting to recover from that tragedy fifteen thousand years ago… The ditch our society fell into after the destruction of the home planet is starting to fill up again. It's too bad I can't help any more than I have._

The figure flew away, traveling south for a few minutes, until it reached an area obscured by fog. Plunging into the fog without hesitation, it soon reached a yawning cavern mouth. It entered the cavern.

A large shadowy figure waited within, two red eyes glowing. "You are on time." Its voice was low and sepulchral.

The transparent Mew nodded, then sighed regretfully. "I wish I could stay for just a little longer."

"Do not all who pass on wish for that? Yet nothing can be done. Indeed, you were given a chance most would do anything for…"

"Yes, I guess so… Thank you."

The shadow bowed its head. "Are you ready?"

"No, not really, but go ahead."

"Do not worry, you made a difference, Avari."

Avari closed her eyes, and then disappeared.

.

I went home, finally, after being gone for over a week. Darkrai released my mother and Cresselia, and thankfully my mother was alright despite having no food or water for three days. I suspect that someone may have been taking care of her, though I don't know who, and neither does she.

Arceus contacted us through an image in the air, saying that Jirachi would be able to stay awake if he gave up his ability to grant wishes. Jirachi accepted, and stayed with me. I suppose Arceus isn't really as bad as he seemed.

In any case, everyone else returned home as well, and we got on with our lives in general. Darkrai went to apparently find the Poke Ball Cyrus captured him with, so he could destroy it. I learned to write, sort of, from Brandon when we happened to come across each other in Eterna Forest. So I wrote down my story, which you are reading now. By the time I finished this, it was a month later. I never realized how much had actually happened, but I'm glad I was able to record it.

Kaden found his sister, too, wandering through Eterna Forest. She had the Lunar Wing with her. So after all, it ended up not being used and the entire effort I made to get it was wasted.

For that matter, so was the rest of my journey. It turns out that if I hadn't woken up Regigigas, none of this would have happened. But oh well, it was fun. And besides, if I hadn't I wouldn't have met Jirachi.

Speaking of Jirachi, I need to finish this quickly so I can go meet him at the big rock in Eterna Forest. Kaden teased me about my "date" when he dropped by earlier today, but I don't really care, he's immature anyway.

Even though the entire disaster was essentially my fault, I still got to make new friends and see new places. Since Arceus is free now, the world will hopefully be more peaceful. I hope I made the right choice.

My name is Avari. And this is the end of my story.


End file.
